No Time like the Present: A Continuation of Flash Forward
by Bravery0898
Summary: To him, they were soul mates. He thought she was beautiful. He knew what they would become to one another. To her, they were strangers. She thought he was a bit nutty. She knew only the life she was currently living. We know where they end up, so here is their story.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a continuation of Flash Forward, so for those of you who haven't read it, you may be a little confused. I wouldn't say that you'll have no idea what's going on, but you'll have a better understanding :) **

**Give Bella a chance! After all, is very patient with Edward in the future lol.**

**And for my wonderful readers, I love you all and I am humbled by the response I received for Flash Forward. That was my first fic and your support helped me continue to write it. **

**Regular disclaimers: not beta'd. Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I own this crazy plot.**

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Prologue

Who would have thought this would be what my life had come to?

I thought I had it figured out. I thought everything was going to be easy.

That was until he came into my life and flipped my world upside down.

_Edward Cullen_.

This crazy handsome man had somehow convinced himself that we were meant to be together.

He was absolutely certain that he was in love with me...even though I was so messed up.

He made me feel as though I was normal and loving and worthy of love.

He was so good.

Somehow, during my short time with this insane man, he had wormed his way into my heart and made a home there. The feelings had snuck up on me.

And in my confusion and inability to open up, I had messed up everything.

I had hurt this beautiful, warm, loving man. I glanced over at him and studied his features as he drove me home in the pouring rain. His jaw was clenched. I looked away before he caught me staring like he always did.

"Bella, about what happened before..."

I sucked in a breath, waiting for him to continue.

"You were right. We should just stay friends."

I snapped my head to him, unable to speak. He stared straight ahead.

"Everything just became so complicated and God, I miss our friendship. I hate that we've gotten to the point where we have to avoid each other. I-I won't do anything to-pressure you into being with me anymore because it's not worth what has happened. Let's just remain friends."

A lump formed in my throat and I was afraid if I said anything, I'd start crying.

I hadn't even realized we had stopped driving until Edward opened his door. I could barely move.

_He didn't want to be with me anymore_.

He opened my door for me and held out his hand. I took it without even thinking. I was in a daze as he walked me to my door.

_He didn't want to be with me anymore. It wasn't worth it._

_I_ wasn't worth it.

Of course.

We reached the door to my apartment building, and I still hadn't responded to what he said.

"Bella...are you alright?" His quiet voice was like a caress.

I nodded without looking up at him.

"Can you look at me?"

I swallowed and hoped my nose wasn't turning pink...something that always happened when I was about to cry. I brought my brown eyes to his intense green ones.

He was frowning...and very close to me. His eyes were no longer guarded and I could see how..._sad_ he was. His expression changed to determined in the matter of seconds.

"Can I try something? It will be the last time. I just..." He placed his fingertips on my chin and stared at my lips. "...need to do this one more time before I won't anymore."

He pressed his lips against mine. I shut my eyes and enjoyed the way his stubble rubbed across my chin. I kissed him back. He moved his lips in sync with mine and I parted my lips, giving him better access. His tongue swept across mine, and I moaned.

His hand was still holding mine, as the other gripped my waist, pulling me closer. It was like we were dancing.

He pulled away and pressed his forehead against mine. I kept my eyes closed and could feel his breath on my face. I was panting.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, giving my lips one more peck before completely pulling away from me.

I watched as he walked to his car, got in, and drove away.

I slowly walked up the stairs to my apartment, gripping the railing to keep my legs from giving out.

I took deep breaths when I got to my door and pulled out my keys with shaking hands. I finally unlocked my door and waited until it shut. I pressed my back against the door and slid down until my knees touched my chest.

My vision blurred and I started sobbing.

It was too late. He had had enough.

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**Thanks for reading :-) **

**Love reviews, good or bad!**

**As for the title, I tried to use all your ideas from reviews/PMs and put it into one!**

**Love,**

**Bravery**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow. That's all I can really say with the response for Flash Forward and the previous chapter! I had basically a million emails Haha!**

**disclaimer: SM owns Twilight, not beta'd**

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**BPOV**

I was living the dream. I worked as a waitress with shitty hours and half-decent tips, and I did bitch work at the library, making just enough money to pay my bills. Plus, I was going to school to get my masters. I was going to become a librarian. All that bitch work would pay off. I loved being around books. And cooking. I would rather make food than serve it. If I had the time, I'd read and cook all day long. Now, I was lucky if I found time to eat, let alone cook. And the only person who was around to try my food when I did cook was Mike. He didn't care what I made, as long as he was fed.

Typical guy.

Which was why I was out with my girls tonight.

I never get to go out. I was taking advantage of this night. I would get fucked up and Mike would take my drunk ass home, where I'd sleep until 9:00 in the morning and do some hungover homework.

Done and done.

But back to the present.

I arrived at Masen's Pub at about 8:30 with Rosalie and Angela. We had toked up in the car before going, but I was beginning to regret that decision because I was tired. And hungry. And my mouth was really dry. And Mike would be pissed when he found out.

"I'm thirsty," I complained, suffering from cottonmouth.

"I'll go and get us some beers," Angela offered as we sat at the table. I really needed water, but I supposed that beer would do. She strutted up to the bar right next to this guy who was hunched over in his seat. She was clearly admiring him, but he barely took notice. He looked miserable. And he was by himself. Getting drunk.

How pathetic.

Angela returned with our drinks and a very excited smile was plastered on her face.

"Oh my God," she said, handing us our drinks. Dang, I was thirsty. And hot. Why was it so hot in here? I t

"Silly, Angela. I'm not God. I'm Bella."

I eagerly chugged my beer.

"Shut up, bitch," Angela said dismissively. I giggled. She turned to Rosalie. "There is one hot brooding man sitting at the bar-"

"No thanks!" Rosalie interrupted, the only single one. She had no reason for being single other than she wanted to be. She really wasn't into brooding men. She was into pretty boys, though. Mainly pretty boys with dimples.

Dimples were cute. Especially on babies.

Ugh babies were obnoxious. All they did was cry and poop. But they had cute laughs.

"Right, Bella?"

I snapped my head up and saw the girls staring at me. I had no idea what they were talking about.

"What?"

"You are so high," Rosalie rolled her eyes.

I nodded. She was right.

"I said you'll go and check him out and be honest. Right?" Angela was clearly already obsessed with Mr. Moody.

I sighed.

"I'll check him out for you, Rose, when I get the next round," I responded lazily. "Except I want shots. Strong disgusting shots."

"Shots of cum?" Rosalie asked curiously.

"Maybe that guy's cum," Angela remarked, pointing in the direction of the man at the bar. That set us off into an uncontrollable giggle fit that lasted for a good few minutes until we finally got a hold of ourselves. We finished off our beers and sat for a moment. I really didn't want to get up. I kind of felt like I was sitting in jello.

In a pool of jello.

Yeah.

"Would it be in bad taste to yell over to Mr. Moody to bring us some shots?" No, really. I was that lazy.

"Would it be in bad taste to ask him to do it shirtless...or naked?"

"Ang," I scolded, not really caring. "That's a human being. Not a piece of meat."

"You go and check him out," she laughed. "Then, you can tell me he's not a piece of meat."

I sighed and stood up, swaying a bit. I had turned into a jellyfish. That was the only way to describe the floating feeling as I walked over to Mr. Moody.

I walked over, staring at the back of this guy's head. His hair was a disaster. He probably just got fucked. Or fucked and dumped? Was that why he was so sad?

He stiffened when I neared him and began to turn around, scanning the crowd, like he was looking for someone. By the time I reached the bar, he was standing to leave.

Ah shucks. Looks like I wouldn't get to check him out.

Oh well.

"Can I please get three shots of jack and honey?" I asked the bartender. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mr. Moody turned towards me.

I could feel him staring at me. I felt goosebumps break out over my flesh, which was strange, considering it was very hot. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable and I wanted to see what he looked like.

But how could I check him out when he was staring at me?

Seriously, was there something wrong with him?

Fuck it.

I turned toward him and was shocked by what I saw.

The man was very good-looking. Like really sexy. His hair was the color of a rusty penny. His sharp jaw was edible. And he was tall, at least six feet. I felt myself blushing at how handsome he was.

But none of these were the reason I could barely catch my breath looking at him. And it wasn't because I was high either.

It was the look in his eyes. He looked at me as though he already knew me. Like he was in awe of me. Like I was the second coming or something.

There had to be something wrong with him.

Or had I met him before? Maybe I had and just didn't remember.

Well now, I just felt like an asshole because I probably did meet him before and he was waiting for me to recognize him.

"Do I know you?" I blurted out.

"I'm going to marry you."

My heart fell out of my chest.

I was way too fucking high for this.

"Um...excuse me?" I let out a tweaky little giggle.

He smirked and scratched his head. Apparently, he was completely fine with this...proposal. He laughed.

"Uh...Maybe I should introduce myself. I'm Edward Cullen."

He was cute. I figured that a little flirting wouldn't do any harm.

"Well, Edward Cullen," I tried not to smile. "I'm Bella Swan, and I'm not so sure you'll be marrying me."

He smiled as though he had won the lottery. "It's very nice to meet you, Bella," his eyes darkened. "And, yes, I'm sure that I'll marry you."

I felt annoyance overtake my entire being. This cocky man really thought this was a good pickup line. I was about to tell him to fuck off because of Mike, but the bartender came up with my shots. I grabbed them and turned back to Edward to invite him to meet Rosalie, but then thought better of it. He most certainly was not Rose's type. And I'd probably have to punch him if he used the marriage like on her.

"What are you doing here tonight?" He asked, stopping me from leaving.

I grinned, hoping I could use this as my excuse to get away. "Girls night." I looked back at him and he was fixated on Rosalie.

Of course. She is the gorgeous one. Even though I wasn't single, my ego still took a hit when guys fell at Rosalie's feet and well, not mine.

Especially since he did propose.

"That sounds fun," he smiled warmly at me and didn't give Rosalie another glance.

I love Rosalie, and she has never chosen guys over me. But in this particular situation, I felt oddly triumphant.

And because of that, I felt guilty.

"Yep, well, I'm going-"

"Would you like to get dinner sometime?" He interrupted.

Oh shit. I felt my face heat up and I had to stop myself from smiling. I had Mike, but man, this guy was good looking and, well, it made me feel good.

But I couldn't.

"My boyfriend wouldn't like that very much. I am flattered, though," I responded honestly. "However, you probably will want to try the marriage line on someone else. It almost worked."

"Boyfriend?" He responded in shock.

Really? Was it that surprising that I wasn't single?

Asshole.

"Yeah, he actually is DD tonight but not until later. Well hopefully he won't change his mind."

I hadn't meant to say that last part.

"What is fucking taking so long?" Rosalie snapped from next to me.

"Calm down, Rosalie," I groaned as Edward smiled at her. Ugh. "This guy was proposing to me. I had to at least talk to him."

There. Now he couldn't use that line on her. Rose looked at him and then back at me. I could see the wheels turning in her mind.

"Good. Then, maybe you can get rid of Mike."

I was mortified. The only thing I wanted to do was get the hell out of there.

So I did.

I ignored Angela's concerned looks when I walked back and we took our shots.

And then I took Rosalie's shot since she was clearly enjoying herself with Edward.

Not that I cared.

She was over there for a very long time, and I glanced over, half expecting to see her and Edward making out, but instead there was a different guy. He was bulky, with dimples.

Of course Rose was all over him. And he was all over her. And Edward was completely fine with this.

Who was this guy?

"Hey, Babe," I heard a voice and felt arms wrap around me. And I knew the only reason he was doing this was because he saw me watching someone from across the room.

I pulled away. "Hi, Mike. Thanks for coming to pick us up."

"Yeah, I gotta go, Babe," he responded. "I have work early tomorrow, so round up the troops."

Rose ran up to me and told me she was going with Emmett. I laughed and wished her good luck. I walked toward the door with Mike's arm around me. I glanced back one more time and Edward was looking right at me.

And when I saw the look on his face, I whipped my own head back around.

I shouldn't have looked. It was a mistake because not only did I see the frown on his face, but I also saw that wasn't what unnerved me.

Because that frown morphed into the biggest grin.

And I think it was because I looked back.

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**Thank you so much for reading! I'll post every Wednesday to keep you all happy.**

**Let me know what you thought!**

**-Bravery**


	3. Chapter 3

**I can't get over the crazy response to both this story and Flash Forward! And I'm so excited because they were both featured on Twifanfictionrecs . com on May 31st!**

**I was not expecting that! So thank you so much for your support! I love you all! Vote in the poll at the website if you feel inclined and take a look at all the other awesome stories there :)**

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**BPOV**

It had been a week and a half since we met _them_. And because of Rose, I felt as though I had to spend every free moment with them.

Today, I was furious with Rosalie.

Livid.

I was at this quaint little coffee shop, sitting across from her and her new guy for whom she was absolutely head over heels.

That was totally fine. She wasn't usually the type to make rash decisions like...wanting to spend the rest of her life with somebody she just met, but in this case, Emmett had wooed her.

I was happy for her.

Really.

What I wasn't okay with was the fact that she had told me it would be just us girls and that I wasn't even allowed to invite Mike. Yet, Edward Cullen, the man who had been haunting my mind lately, was seated directly next to me.

Like we were on some double date or something.

Even though I had a boyfriend.

And he wasn't on my mind because I found him _attractive_ or _liked_ him or anything. It was because he was infuriating.

Why did he smile like that when I looked back?

"So, Bella," Emmett grinned. "What do you do?"

"Um..." _What didn't I do?_ "I'm currently getting my Master's in Library Science." I heard a chuckle from next to me. "What is so funny about that?"

"Nothing," the schmuck answered. "I'm just...not surprised."

I scowled, but turned back to Emmett. "My goal is to be a librarian. I'm working at a library now, but I also work as a waitress, you know...to pay the bills," I laughed awkwardly.

"You'll definitely be a librarian," the annoying man to my right murmured. I glanced at him, ready to snap at his sarcastic remark, when I noticed that his face showed no signs of teasing.

"What do you do?" I asked Edward, not really caring about his response.

"I'm a bartender, but I'm going to own a bar in a few years. It will be called Cullen's Pub," he grinned. I narrowed my eyes.

"You sound awfully confident."

"Ed man, I don't think they'll let you rename Masen's," Emmett admitted.

That caught my attention.

"You work at Masen's?"

Edward nodded.

"He's the bartender there," Rosalie chimed in, nodding and smiling. Then, she turned to me and raised her eyebrows. I furrowed my own.

"You should stop in some time to get some drinks," Edward offered. "I could get you a good deal."

Then he winked.

"Yeah, that would be awesome. Bella and I will be there!"

"Rose!"

She shrugged and quite frankly, I was becoming very annoyed with her insistence that I hang out with Edward.

"Excuse me," I stood up. Then I walked towards the door and stepped outside. I reached into my purse and pulled out a cigarette and lit up.

I knew it was a horrible habit, and yes, it was a habit because I smoked a cigarette maybe once a week when I was stressed.

I needed this right now. Because this whole situation and this Edward Cullen character with his smirks and winks and green eyes were stressing me the hell out.

I heard the door swing open behind me. I whipped around quickly to see, of course, who else, standing there.

"Hi," he smiled with his hands in his pockets.

"What do you want?" I blurted out. And I didn't say it in a rude way, I really wanted to know what he expected from me.

"Well," he scratched his head. _Did he have fleas? Why was he always scratching his head?_ "I know that you don't really like me that much."

"I-"

"Let me finish. I know that Rose is trying to set us up. I get it; you have a boyfriend. For the record, I don't normally propose to women when I first meet them," he laughed.

"You don't normally propose to women and then convince them you're meant to be together?"

His eyes darkened. For a moment he was quiet, just watching me with his intense eyes. I felt goosebumps break out all over my flesh. "Did I convince you?"

My face flamed. "Try to," I amended. He gave a crooked smile.

"I'm just messing with you. However, there is a reason I came out here."

"What is it?" I puffed on my cigarette.

"That's a bad habit," he pointed.

I glanced at my cancer stick. "You came out here to tell me not to smoke?"

He shook his head. "No, sorry. I-Rosalie and Emmett are going to be together for a while, and that means we'll be seeing more of each other. I don't want there to be any problems between us."

"There won't be," I frowned.

"I want to be friends."

"Friends?" I raised my eyebrow. From what I could tell, he didn't want to be friends. He wanted to make my life unbearable.

"Kissing friends."

_You've got to be fucking kidding me._

"Absolutely not," I snapped and walked past him. He lightly grabbed my arm. "What? I've had a long day. This was supposed to be a stress-free night with _Rosalie_. And yet, you and that large bear of a man show up-so-so-what do you want from me?!"

"Hey, I was just kidding, okay?" He spoke with softness in his eyes. "I really want to be your friend. I like you. That's it. I just like you."

I couldn't focus, and I needed to get away from him. "I don't think-"

"Bella," he stared at me. "I was only kidding. I want to be your _friend_."

I narrowed my eyes to search for any signs of deceit. There were none. But for some reason, my instincts were screaming, _Edward Cullen is a_ _liar_.

No, it was a joke. The whole marriage, kissing friends, everything. Those were the lies. He just wanted to be _friends_.

"Okay. But you can't joke about things like that."

He laughed. "The way you react is hilarious, so I can't guarantee anything."

"Edward."

He half-smiled. "Friends?" He held out his hand.

"Friends," I responded shaking it. "Shall we go back inside?"

"Probably." Edward walked over and opened the door for me. We walked in and saw Rosalie and Emmett making out. I stopped walking. "Maybe we should go somewhere else."

I turned to him. "As friends."

"Yes," he laughed. "As friends."

And so began my friendship with Edward.

As well as the dreams.

That was the first night I dreamt of Edward.

_I was running down a hallway that looked unfamiliar to me. The floor was marble and I had to be careful not to trip. I tried to figure out where I was, but the only thing I saw was paintings on the walls. Every now and then there were small end tables with vases on them. It was a beautiful place, but even as I searched my mind, I couldn't remember the name of it. _

_The only thing I knew was that I was running. And I was pulling someone behind me. I could feel the warmth of a hand in mine and could hear the quiet breaths of whoever it was. _

_We reached the doors and without any control of my body, I automatically pushed them open and felt the satisfaction of seeing the limousine bus. The doors were open but there was no driver._

_Perfect._

_"Bella, what are we doing in here?" _

_I felt myself grin as I turned to him._

_"Live a little. Do you know how likely it is that we'll have any energy for tonight?"_

_He narrowed his eyes as his lips turned up. _

_I slowly walked towards him and began to unbutton his pants._

_"Bella..." He warned._

_"What?" I snapped. "We're doing this!"_

_"Okay, you don't have to pull my arm or anything," he teased as I continued to take down his pants._

_"We're not taking off more than the necessities, otherwise everyone will know what we've done," I whispered. He chuckled as I looked up into his green eyes._

_"I'm pretty sure when we took off running they had an idea." _

_He kissed me slowly and reached around to undo my dress. I pulled away. "No! Do you know how long it took me to get this on?"_

_He still had his hands on my waist as he analyzed my apparel. "This will be interesting."_

_I sat down and began to pull up the lacy petticoat. I heard him chuckle. _

_"Bella, I can't even see you."_

_"I don't care," I giggled. "Find my vagina."_

_I felt the lace push up into my face even more and I had to move my head so I could breathe. I smiled as I felt his hands move up my legs, past the garter that was securely wrapped around my thigh. He brought his hands under my thighs and pulled me down towards him. I gasped as his fingers pulled on my thong._

_"You're beautiful," he whispered as he pulled down my underwear. _

_We didn't have time for foreplay, but that was okay because I had been waiting for this all day long. _

_He pushed down my dress so I could see his face. "Much better," he said as he moved his cock along my entrance. I felt my eyes roll back as soon as he pushed in. It was the most awkward positioning we had been in, with me seated and him kneeling on the floor, but it still felt amazing with each thrust._

_"I'll never get enough of this," he grunted._

_"Promise me," I moaned._

_"Every day."_

_I felt him hit my spot as I cried out. "There. Please more!"_

_He shifted so he could hit me deeper._

_Harder._

_I was panting and so was he._

_"So close..."_

_He kissed me hard and began to rub me quickly._

_I felt my walls fluttering._

_"Come for me, baby." He moved his lips from my mouth to my neck and as soon as he hit my sweet spot, I was done for._

_"Yes," I cried out, as he continued to thrust. I felt him swell as I began meeting his hips with more vigor. My walls clamped down on him as I came._

_And three short thrusts later, he was right behind me. He collapsed onto me, breathing heavily into my ear. I turned so he could kiss me._

_"I love you," I whimpered breathlessly._

_He put his hands on my cheeks and looked at me with an intensity I would never get used to. "I love you."_

_I grinned as he pulled back and out of me. He stood up and zipped himself up. Then he glanced down at me and started laughing._

_"You look ridiculous." He grabbed some napkins that were stored in a bag under the seat and cleaned me off. Then, he leaned down and pulled up my underwear. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up._

_"Thank you, Mr. Cullen," I smirked, playing with the ring on his finger._

"You're welcome, Mrs. Cullen," he beamed. "You're mine."

I shot up out of bed, gasping for air.

"What the fuck?"

I got out of my bed and headed to the bathroom, trying not to think about that dream.

Because that's all it was. A dream.

I rinsed my face with cold water and looked at my reflection. My cheeks were flushed and my eyes were wide.

"It's just because of the jokes he keeps making about marriage. That's it," I reassured myself. "It means nothing."

I shook my head and laughed.

I would not be telling anyone about this. Especially not Edward.

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**Thanks for reading!**

**-Bravery**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm so worried with each chapter that I post and each review I receive ahe then I receive all of the responses. I am so grateful for all of my wonderful readers.**

**Thank you for your patience with this slow burn.**

**Same disclaimers as usual :)**

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**BPOV**

Friends.

Edward and I were friends.

And I made sure it remained that way. Edward was a flirt. I realized that, but thankfully, he stopped telling me we were meant to be together or get married. He seemed to be on board, but Rosalie. Ugh.

Because of her, I still had the dreams.

Or _dream_, really.

The one of Edward and me seemed to be on repeat, which was beginning to take its toll on my sanity.

Especially since last night, when I woke up with my hand in my pajama pants. And my head was in the textbook I had been reading. I looked like I got off on school work.

So I needed Rosalie to stop. I needed her to stop talking up Edward to me on a consistent basis. I needed her to stop pointing out his qualities that, according to her, appeared to match up with my own. And I needed her to stop trying to get me to picture him naked.

I was meeting with her today to have a talk with her about what she was doing. We weren't at Masen's, fortunately, because after last night, I wasn't sure I could look Edward in the eye. Instead, we were just getting coffee since that was all I had time for. I took a sip of its heavenly caffeinated goodness, pushed down the guilt of splurging on the drink, and checked my phone.

Rosalie was running late.

Two guesses.

When she arrived with disheveled hair and her top wrinkled, I knew my answer. She had been with Emmett.

"Have a nice morning?" I asked. She grinned and walked over to the barista to order her drink.

I had exactly 46 minutes before my shift started, so she needed to hurry the fuck up.

Two and a half minutes later, she was sitting directly in front of me.

"What's up?" She asked. I stared at her for a moment, trying to come up with the best way to broach the subject.

"I need you to stop trying to hook me up with Edward. He gets it. I'm not interested. But you-you need to knock it off right now." Apparently the best way was just diving right into the topic. I didn't really have time to beat around the bush.

Rosalie took a sip of her coffee and set it down, drumming her fingers on the table for a moment.

"May I ask you a question?"

"You may."

"Why are you with Mike?" I furrowed my eyebrows, confused by the question. "I mean, are you planning on being with him for a very long time or is this just going to be a short-term thing."

"I've been dating him for almost a year," I responded. "I don't consider this a short-term thing."

She waved me off. "You know what I mean. Do you plan on marrying him?"

"Jesus Rosalie," I snapped. "I'm still young. And no, I don't plan on marrying him because I don't believe in marriage. He's completely okay with that."

"Really?" She raised her eyebrow. "Does Mike love you?"

"I-yes."

"Do you love him?"

"Well, yeah. I've been with him this long, of course."

"And you just plan on...being together."

"Yes."

"And Mike is okay with this," she repeated.

"Yeah, what are you getting at, Rose? Spit it out."

And spit it out, she did.

"I think you and Mike are with each other because it's safe. I think that the reason that you and Mike don't have a problem with not getting married is because you don't want to get married to each other."

When I finally wrapped my mind around her words, I shook my head.

"No, that's not true."

"You're telling me that you don't think you will ever get married, share benefits, children, a house, everything. That you won't want that with anyone."

"No," I answered automatically. "I mean - marriage just seems to have lost its meaning for me, you know?"

She knew I meant my own parents.

"I think that if you found the right guy, you'd want to marry him. That if the right guy wanted to marry you, you would do it." My mind briefly went back to Edward, but I cut it off before anything else could happen. "I think your problem isn't with marriage. It's with Mike."

I was beyond frustrated.

"You think wrong," I stood up. "I have to go. And honestly, my views of marriage shouldn't bother you because I'm not trying to force them upon you." I grabbed my purse. "And I would appreciate it if you stopped trying to set me up with Edward. That is the reason I brought you here. Stop trying to force that to happen."

"Bella-"

"Rose, I swear-" I punched the bridge of my nose. "I swear-if you try one more time, I'm not going to go out with you any more. It's unfair. I don't want to date him and he doesn't want to date me, so please stop."

"Well-" I gave her a pointed look. She sighed. "Fine. Our friendship is more important than Edward Cullen."

I exhaled. "Thanks, Rose. I'll call you later."

"You're ditching me?" She pouted.

I laughed. "I have to work. I don't get to have sex all morning."

"You could, you know," she wiggled her eyebrows. "With Ed-"

"Hey, you said you were done," I snapped.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "But friend to friend. Just an observation...he's very attractive. And Emmett told me that he and Edward lived together a few years ago in an apartment-not at their parent's place. And...well, their walls were thin...and I mean, unless those girls were faking-"

"Okayyy," I laughed awkwardly, trying to get that image out of my head as I felt my cheeks heat up. "So you were trying to hook me up with a manwhore. Well done, Rose."

"Hey I didn't say he was a manwhore. Don't judge. But-whatever, go to work and earn yourself big bucks."

"Okay." I shook my head. "So we are good here?"

"We're good," she nodded and raised her coffee.

"Okay, love you girl. I gotta go."

Work was frustrating and boring.

Well, at least until a very attractive older couple came in and sat in my section.

It wasn't the fact that they were an adorable couple that caught my eye, but rather, how they treated each other.

He pulled out her chair for her. She kissed his cheek. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. And she him. They touched hands, and every time I went over to check on them, I felt as though I was intruding on something very intimate. But they laughed at my corny jokes and appreciated my attention. And they also informed me during small talk that they had been married for over 25 years.

I went in the back to check on their food and thought back to what Rose said. If marriage was like that, where they could enjoy each other after that many years...I shook my head and grabbed their tray.

When I walked back out, I smirked at what I saw. The perfect couple was arguing. It seemed intense.

I sighed. My views on marriage remained unchanged.

As I moved closer with their food, I caught the tail end of their hushed argument.

"We need to tell the kids, Carlisle. They need to know. It's not-"

"I'll tell them when the time is right, okay, now let's enjoy the rest of our evening." He saw me and quickly looked back to his wife. "Please."

Awkward.

"Here is your burger," I set down the plate. "Medium-well with no mayo. And here is the BLT. Can I get you anything else?"

"Actually, Bella, I have a question for you," the man grinned. If he was younger, I probably would have swooned.

I smiled back. "What's up?"

"Do you have a husband?"

"No," I responded slowly. "But I do have a boyfriend."

He laughed. "That's a shame. Our son would probably adore you."

His wife smiled warmly. "He would, wouldn't he?"

I smiled politely and told them that I'd be back if they needed anything.

Another person trying to hook me up with a different guy. Like I was somebody special or something. I shook my head.

Marriage was for that couple and probably their son, too, but not me.

Later that evening, I headed to the store to pick up some groceries for the long day ahead of me. I would habe class from 8 to 2 and work from 6 to 1 in the morning, only to do it all again the following day. I hated the hours I got for waitressing. I was exhausted.

The days I was working at the library were a hell of a lot easier on me. I sighed and continued browsing through the aisles.

I frowned when I realized my favorite brand of coffee was, yet again, not on sale. I hadn't been able to buy it in almost a year. I grabbed the off-brand.

Coffee was a luxury for me. But it was also a necessity to get me through the day. I briefly wondered when things would get easier.

And if that couple-the one from the diner-ever dealt with a similar situation.

_Do they get to buy brand names? Or are they struggling too? They probably had it together._

I also grabbed a bottle of wine because, well, even though my budget was tight, I needed to drink.

With the most generic food and toiletries, I began to head to the checkout. I pulled out my wallet and sorted through the coupons I had planned on using when I heard my name. I looked up and saw Edward standing before me.

"Edward," I gasped. "What are you doing here?"

He chuckled and held up the two items. I tried not to stare longingly when I realized he had my favorite coffee in one hand.

Of course Edward would be able to buy good coffee.

"I see you're getting some shopping done, too." He nodded to my cart.

"Today is the only day I will have time for shopping," I admitted. "My work and school schedules don't give me much leeway."

He frowned.

_Shit. Why did I tell him that?_

"But I mean, you have to do what you can to pay the bills, you know. Even if it means you're losing sleep," I laughed awkwardly. _Shut up, Bella!_

"Your job doesn't work with your school schedule? Where are you working?"

"No, they do! I just have to work late at night if I want to be able to have a break for class in the morning." I shook my head and smiled. "I think I need to get a new job, ha. And quit complaining. I mean, I'm not the only one working and going to school."

He narrowed his eyes. "Have you looked for other jobs?"

I huffed. "With what time?" I moved past him. "I have to get going."

"I think you need another job that works with your school schedule."

I swallowed down my annoyance. "Well, let me know if you find a job that flexible."

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I will."

"Oh, and I had a talk with Rosalie. She won't be trying to hook us up anymore."

He grinned. "That's nice. Have a good night, Bella. Sweet dreams." He winked and continued his shopping.

_Sweet dreams? _

_He couldn't know, could he?_

_No. No, there was no way._

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**See you next Wednesday! **

**-Bravery**


	5. Chapter 5

My eyes were dry and my vision was blurring. I blinked and rubbed them, hoping that would help the situation. Still, I couldn't concentrate. I groaned and slammed my book shut right as my phone vibrated.

_Perfect timing._

**Are you free tonight? -R**

I was studying for my night class since I would be working double-shifts almost every day on my week off. It sucked that our break wasn't a break for me, but life was life. I looked at my schedule for the week I got back and sighed. It was going to be a stressful one, but my brain couldn't tolerate any more information shoved into it.

**Maybe...why? -B**

**I want to do something silly. -R**

**Like what? -B**

**MINIATURE GOLFING! And** **you can invite Mike :) I have a groupon!**

I frowned. Miniature golfing wasn't something I considered to be silly.

**Sure, I'm down. Let me** **check with Mike to see if he's free. -B**

I scrolled through my recent calls and hit send.

"Hey Babe."

"Hey Mike, do you have a second to talk?"

I heard some shuffling and then he responded, "yeah, what's up? Is everything okay?"

"Oh of course. Rosalie invited me out to go miniature golfing tonight and I was wondering if you're free and would like to go."

He sighed. "Sorry, Bella. I wish I could, but I have to be up early for work."

"The place closes at 10. It's not like we will be out super late."

"I can't keep up with you party animals," he laughed. "You'll have fun without me. Look, I've got to get back, but I'll talk to you later."

"Ugh fine. I guess I'll ask Angela or something."

"Good idea! Bye!"

I glared at my phone and threw it on my bed. Then, I felt like an idiot because I had to pick it back up to let Rosalie know Mike wouldn't be joining us.

**Bummer! I'll ask Angela. -R**

**Sounds good. -B**

Fifteen minutes later, my phone beeped.

**Angela is down to get down with some balls. Woot woot! -R**

I smirked. Rosalie had a way of making everything perverted.

I decided to go out and get some more coffee, considering I knew I would need to get back to studying in a short while.

When I start my car, I cursed when I realized I saw I was on empty. I quickly calculated how much money I would have if I filled up. Give up coffee or give up a little bit of gas.

Instant gratification. I'm buying coffee.

I drove out of my way to get to the cheapest gas station and bought my coffee, but after filling up my tank, I found myself driving to the bar that was around the block.

I didn't even know if _he_ was working, but I hadn't seen or heard from him in about a week, so I was concerned.

As a _friend_.

I pulled up to Masen's and grabbed my coffee before walking in. When I did, I looked around and didn't see him. I felt silly and almost turned around and left, but I saw the door to the back swing open.

"Edward..." I whispered when I saw him. He looked...

_Horrible._

The normal mischievous spark that was always present in his eyes was...gone. He had dark circles under his eyes that made him look as though he hadn't been sleeping well.

To be honest, it was difficult for me to see him that way.

I didn't want to see him or talk to him while he was looking rough because I didn't want to care.

But he noticed me and just stared.

Simply stared with a tired expression.

I wanted to know what he was thinking. So I stepped toward him. Like a moth to a flame.

When I reached the bar, I smiled tightly, feeling uncomfortable. I had a feeling being here today was going to change things between Edward and me.

"You look terrible," I blurted out. He continued to stare until a small smile began to tug at his lips.

"What are you doing here?"

_What was I doing there?_

"Just was in the neighborhood." It was true.

"Would you like anything to drink?" He asked. I held up my coffee that I had yet to take a sip of. Without giving it a second thought, I handed it over to him.

I don't know _why_ I did it. I could barely afford coffee to begin with, but for some reason, I believed he needed it more than I did.

"You brought me coffee?"

"Sure," I muttered. "You look tired."

He frowned. "Did you know that before walking in here?"

"No, but...just take the coffee, Edward."

He reached across the bar and placed his hand on mine.

"Thank you, Bella. That was a very kind gesture."

I shrugged, ignoring the way my cheeks heated up with his touch. His eyes scanned my face as a grin broke out across his own. My stomach fluttered. For a moment, I thought he was going to bring up the way he was affecting me.

Instead, he said, "You are a beautiful creature." Then, he pulled his hand away.

For some reason, I wanted to cry, but I swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in my throat and focused on him.

"Are you okay, Edward?"

He glanced up at me with a surprised look on his face, as though he hadn't expected me to ask.

And that made me feel bad.

"Uh...yeah."

_Edward Cullen is a liar._

"You can talk to me, you know. I'm a pretty good listener."

His jaw clenched. He glanced around the bar, probably looking for some reason to get out of the conversation. When he found no excuse to leave, he turned back to me.

"Family drama."

_Family drama_. That's all he would tell me.

I didn't know him well enough to push the issue, even though I wanted to.

"I'm sorry," I offered lamely. He seemed relieved when I left it at that.

"Thank you for the coffee."

"You're-" I was cut off by my phone ringing. I saw it was Rosalie but didn't answer. "Sorry. You're welcome. It was cheap. It probably doesn't even taste good."

I smiled at him. He grinned back, though I could tell it was forced. It didn't reach his eyes.

Damn it. I was worried.

My phone buzzed. I rolled my eyes and glanced down at the text message I received.

**Angela is no longer in :/ We need to find someone else pronto. -R**

I looked back up at Edward.

"Want to play some miniature golf tonight?"

His eyes shot to mine. They were wide and still very tired.

_Dumb. I'm so dumb. He probably wants to sleep. Why would he want to go miniature golfing of all things to do?_

"That actually sounds great."

And then I became awkward. Like I had just asked him out on a date or something.

"Great-cool. Um. It will be great...and cool." I shook my head at the nonsense coming out of my mouth. "I'll...I'll see you later." I turned to practically run away.

"Wait! Aren't you forgetting something?"

His voice made me turn back around. He was watching me with an amused expression on my face.

I glanced around to see if I had left my keys or purse. "I don't know. Am I?"

"Perhaps a time and place so I know when and where to meet you?"

"Oh, I'll text you!" I began to walk back to the door.

"You don't have my number! Unless you did some stalking and got it," I whipped my head around and glared at him as I walked quickly back to him to get him to shut up. "If that's the case, then I'm completely okay with that."

"Aw, Edward, leave the poor girl alone," a woman spoke. I recognized her as one of the regular bartenders. I was still uncertain as to how I always missed Edward.

"She knows I'm just kidding," his eyes didn't leave my face, which was surely red. A smirk formed on his lips. "Right, Bella? I'm just joking with you. I just want to be your _friend_."

I had the same feeling as before when we had a similar conversation. For some reason, I felt in my gut that his jokes were truths.

_But that couldn't be correct because he can have any girl he wants. And I'm taken._

"Right," I nodded. "Phone number please?"

He rattled off his number and I booked it out of there, but not before I heard him say, "Thank you for bringing me coffee, Bella. Such a _friendly_ thing to do."

I was on edge by the time I reached my car. _What the fuck was that? _It was confusing.

Maybe I shouldn't have invited him. But then again, he looked as though he was having a hard time. He probably wouldn't even show up.

Still, though, I got the information from Rosalie and sent it to him.

When I didn't receive any response, I figured I was correct in my assumption that he would blow me off.

However, I was mistaken when he showed up looking refreshed. He grinned and waved before grabbing the necessities from the cashier. she giggled at whatever he said and then blushed. I rolled my eyes. I already was holding my golf club, spinning it around on the ground while Rosalie went over our plan of attack.

"Okay. How about this: the loser makes dinner for everyone?"

"Damn it, Rose," I complained. "You know how much I suck at this game."

"Edward might be worse."

"It's true," He nodded. "I might be worse than you."

"Where's Emmett?" I asked.

They looked at each other and then at me. "Working," they both responded simultaneously.

_Liars._ Must be part of that family drama.

I shrugged and moved to the first hole. "Who wants to go first?"

"You can," Rosalie responded. I missed of course. Rosalie got a hole-in-one. Edward did, too.

"See! I'm definitely going to be the one making dinner."

Rosalie laughed and Edward stood next to me. "I'm actually normally not that good, so it might work out in your favor."

It took me four more tries before we could move on.

And Edward was right. He was horrible. I couldn't figure out if he was purposely trying to lose or if he actually just sucked.

Every time he missed, he would say something along the lines of "Bella's pretty face distracted me" or "I can't focus when Bella is clearly checking me out."

At first, I was very embarrassed, but by the end of the game, I really didn't care. We were having fun. I even giggled a few times.

"Well, Edward," Rosalie said as we walked back to our cars. "I hope you're as good of a cook as Bella is because you owe us a homemade dinner."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered.

"Alright, well you two can make plans for that, but I have to get going for some fun times with my man," Rosalie said. "I'll see you two later. Bella, don't let him get away with making Mac and Cheese!"

I laughed as Rosalie walked away. When we reached my car, Edward turned to me with a thoughtful expression on his face. He leaned against my car and for a second, I imagined my car getting knocked out of 'park' and me being out of a ride. "Hey Bella, if you're such an amazing cook, then maybe you should work at my bar as the chef when I own it."

My jaw dropped. I simply stared at him.

_Such a wishful thinker._

"But then again, I'd have to try your food before I could make that decision. It'd be basic meals mostly because people will probably want to drink more than anything. I'll even let you throw in your own originals." He winked.

I narrowed my eyes. _Was he joking? I couldn't get a read on him._

"I want to be a librarian."

He smiled. "I know. You can do both and be happy."

_Happy._

"Are you happy?" I asked.

His smile faltered, but he didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "That was a personal question. If it makes you feel any better, I wonder many days if what I'm doing is ever going to pay off, you know?" Fuck, I was babbling. "I mean, will I be happy? Who knows? But I have to try. It has to be better than just getting by. It has to be better than where I'm at now. It just...must."

He glanced over at me. "You will be. Happy." His gaze was penetrating. He was certain.

"How can you be so sure?" I whispered.

"How can you not? I have a feeling that you'll make the right decisions. Everything happens for a reason. And...as for my own happiness...well, I'm pretty content right now."

He smiled at me. And I couldn't help but smile back. "Me too."

When the moment became too intense, I changed the subject.

"So, what will you be making Rosalie and me for dinner?"

"Scrambled eggs."

I punched him in the shoulder as he laughed.

* * *

**I'm horrible at golf. How about you?**

**And also, I normally update on Wednesdays, but this week, I'm feeling ambitious, so if I get 20 reviews for this chapter, then I'll post another one Saturday morning. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Bravery**


	6. Chapter 6

"Mmm," I moaned, closing my eyes as I took a sip of the coffee Edward slid over to me. "So good." I still had my backpack on my shoulder filled with textbooks and my back was beginning to ache, but I needed this sip before I sat down.

"Thank you," I opened my eyes and grinned. Edward was staring at me, and I giggled, certain I looked like an idiot. "This is my favorite coffee. Ever. Strange sounds and words will always come out of my mouth when I drink it."

He broke out of whatever staring contest he was having with me and shook his head as a half-smile formed across his face. "Enjoy. Get to your schoolwork so you can become a librarian and work in my bar."

"Yessir," I laughed and headed to the booth I normally sat in when the bar was dead.

Visiting Edward at work had become a sort of routine over the past couple of weeks. Whenever I had a free moment or wanted to get out of my claustrophobic apartment, I would send him a text and head over to the bar to study. We switched off on providing coffee for one another.

I wasn't going to lie. Hanging out with Edward was easily becoming my favorite pastime. I didn't tell Mike about these hang-outs because he wouldn't understand. There was nothing between us, and he wouldn't see it that way, especially with Edward's incessant flirting.

But Edward flirted with _everyone_. I mean, males included. He would jokingly tell Garrett, one of the other bartenders, that he was a foxy man. And any regulars-older women-would practically drool over and generously tip him when he gave them attention.

It was ridiculous.

But Mike would never see it that way because he would only see Edward flirting with me. And that was why I wouldn't tell him.

And to be completely honest, I got a hell of a lot of schoolwork done here. I needed to be able to study. My future depended on these classes.

After about an hour, a loud feminine laugh pulled me from my reading, and I automatically looked up to see where it came from. There was a brunette standing at the bar talking and she had the attention of the entire bar.

Including Edward. In fact, it appeared that he was the one who made her laugh. And he was grinning at her like she held the key to...something.

I narrowed my eyes to see what it was about her that drew everyone in. She turned around and scanned the room and that's when I saw it. This woman was drop dead gorgeous.

It fucking figures. I rolled my eyes at the typical male behavior, but what irked me was that she even caught Edward's eye. Nobody seemed to have caught his attention.

I tried to focus on my reading, but I had become too distracted by the bitchy brunette at the bar. I slammed my textbook shut and shoved it into my backpack before heading to the door. I hadn't even bothered saying goodbye, which was definitely rude and immature, but whatever.

"Bella!" I winced, having been caught in my cowardice. I turned around to see Edward frowning. "You were going to leave without saying goodbye?"

"Sorry, you just looked...busy," I cringed at my pathetic tone. "I didn't want to interrupt you."

"Busy?" He a looked confused.

"Yeah, with that girl."

"Leah?" I shrugged. A slow smile spread across his face. "You know you're my number one girl."

"What-that's not-" I shook my head at his silliness. "I didn't want to interrupt you when it was clear you were enjoying her presence." I clarified. "In fact, everyone was enjoying her presence."

He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. "Are...are you _jealous_?"

"What? No! Absolutely not, Edward. I am not...jealous. No."

His lips twitched but he didn't say anything.

"I'm not."

"Ok," he smirked.

"Seriously."

"Alright."

"Stop it."

"I'm not doing anything." His eyes were dancing.

I frowned. "You're acting all...smug."

"Because you're jealous."

I gritted my teeth at his insistence. "I. Am. Not."

The teasing remained in his eyes, but a different emotion joined it as he mumbled something incoherently.

"What?" I stepped forward.

"You're beautiful." He shrugged.

My eyes widened. "You're ridiculous!"

"What? You're attractive. I can say that."

"That," I point directly at him, "makes me uncomfortable."

"Compliments make you uncomfortable?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"You shouldn't talk to me like that."

"Why?"

"Because I have a boyfriend."

"So? We're friends. Would you be uncomfortable if I was Rosalie and said that?"

"Honestly, I probably would assume Rosalie was a lesbian if she said that."

He looked down as the corners of his lips turned up. "Maybe _I'm_ a lesbian."

I didn't want to grin. I was still annoyed with him. "You're an idiot."

His eyes sparkled when they met mine. "And you're jealous."

"Ok, I'm leaving," I turned and began to walk away.

"I'll see you soon!" He shouted.

I avoided him for a few days.

Later in the week, I was working a double shift and exhausted from the evening rush. It was surprisingly busy for a weekday. I chanced a glance at my reflection in the two minute break I had to pee, and I looked disgusting. I quickly fixed my mascara that was already running and fixed my hair which had been thrown into a messy bun. After a solid thirty seconds, I gave up.

"Whatever," I whispered to my reflection. Then, I did a quick sweep to see to make sure nobody was in there to hear me talking to myself. I walked out into the dining area and saw that the kind couple that had been in here just a few weeks ago had been seated in my section. I grinned. It seemed as though my night was going to get better.

I immediately walked over and greeted them.

"Hello Bella!" The woman gushed. "It's so nice to see you again."

"It's very good to see you, too," I smiled warmly. I felt horrible because I didn't know their names, but I couldn't remember if they even told me last time.

"Certainly," I vaguely heard the man say. "We have one more joining us today." I glanced at him. He looked like he had lost some weight and was a little paler than usual.

Maybe he was just getting over the flu.

"How about I start you both off with some drinks?"

They rattled off their drink orders.

"Perfect, I'll get your drinks, three waters, and I'll be back."

As I was filling up their waters, I heard the door chime and the couple gushing over the person who walked in. I turned to see who joined them.

No. Fucking. Way.

"Lauren, switch tables with me," I hissed to one of the other waitresses. I eyed her table with envy as it sat with people all the way on the other side.

"What?" She glared. "No way. My table is going to give me great tips. I've got those guys eating out of the palm of my hand."

"Please! I'll give you twenty bucks."

"What the hell is wrong with your table?" She answered in a hushed tone.

"Ugh," I threw my hands up. "Nothing."

"Fucking nut job." I turned around and flicked her off discretely. I begrudgingly walked over to the table.

"Hi, can I get you something to drink?" I asked.

He looked up and seemed surprised to see me here. Apparently, he hadn't seen me when he walked in.

"Bella!"

"Edward...hi."

"You two know each other?" The woman said looking back and forth between us with confusion on her face. The man, though, just smiled.

"Uh...yeah, Bella," Edward scratched his head. "These are my parents, Carlisle and Esme."

From the looks of his father, I had a feeling I knew why Edward was feeling tired these days.

* * *

**Sorry about the short length, but we hit 20 reviews, so I HAD to update.**

**I hope you enjoyed.**

**See you Wednesday!**

**Bravery**


	7. Chapter 7

**The responses to these chapters are incredible. It's insane. I know that you all want me to update faster and believe me, I'm trying! Sometimes real life gets in the way which is why I've committed to Wednesday updates. **

* * *

"Well that is interesting," the man, Carlisle, pointed out. "We met Bella a couple of weeks ago, and she is just a lovely girl."

I blushed and smiled. I understand where Edward gets his charisma from.

"She certainly is," Edward looked at me with a very serious expression.

_Oh no._

"So what can I get for you, Edward?"

"Just water is fine, thanks," he smiled.

"Are you all ready to order or would you like a minute?"

They told me they were ready and gave me their orders. I nodded and walked back to put in their food and made sure to stay back there for a while.

"Jesus, Swan!"

When I returned, Edward and his family appeared to be in an intense conversation. I tried to be invisible as I refilled their drinks. They stopped talking, and I felt awkward.

"So Edward tells us you are going to be a librarian," Esme forced a smile.

"Oh, yes," I nodded. "That is the goal."

"And she'll be cooking dinner for my bar," Edward added.

I shook my head and turned to Esme and Carlisle who both had amused looks on their faces. "That's what he thinks."

"It's what I know," he grinned mischievously.

I narrowed my eyes and smiled, "no."

"I don't know," Carlisle interrupted. "Edward always finds a way to get what he wants."

I turned back to him and saw that his ears turned red. He was staring at the table.

_I'm going to marry you._

He didn't even deny it.

"I don't find that hard to believe," I spoke quietly.

I hadn't meant to admit that.

He turned to me, and his eyes were a storm. Intense and frightening.

And beautiful.

_Michael._

I needed to stop. I had a boyfriend. I swallowed and turned to his parents who were giving me a similar look.

"I'll be back with your food."

I walked to the back and took a deep breath, overwhelmed by the moment that had passed. I wanted to kick myself. What the hell was I doing?

I shook my head.

"Bella?"

I jumped and saw Edward raise his hands.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

My heart was pounding and I was feeling claustrophobic being near him.

"You're not allowed back here."

"I know. I just wanted to apologize."

I frowned. Why was he apologizing? I should be the one apologizing for being a freak. "For what?"

"For my parents and the situation out there. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. When my parents get a thought in their head..." He smiled and shook his head. "...well, they do what they want."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Must run in the family."

His smile faltered and he looked down. "So...I just wanted to say sorry about that."

"You don't have to apologize. You did nothing wrong," I reassured him.

I'm the terrible person here.

"Agree to disagree?"

I nodded. "Your food should be ready. Go sit down before I get fired."

He saluted me and headed back to his table. I exhaled.

That wasn't so bad.

I grabbed their plates and headed out to them.

The rest of work was uneventful. I couldn't wait to get out. I was tired.

The Cullen's had left about an hour before I got out, but again, they tipped well.

I headed home to find Mike sitting on the porch to my apartment.

"Michael!" I rushed over to him.

He lifted his head and glared at me. I slowed down my pace.

"Is everything okay?"

"No."

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly.

"You tell me."

I frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really? So you haven't been going to visit Edward Cullen?"

My stomach dropped.

"Who told you that?" I whispered.

"It doesn't matter," he responded coldly. "Have you been seeing him?"

"Not in the way you think," I shook my head.

"Really? Because I found out about this a week ago, hoping it would stop, but it hasn't."

A week ago?

"He is just a friend. I swear."

"I've seen the way he looks at you, Bella," he growled. "He doesn't just want to be your friend."

I sat down next to him, exhausted. "I'm only his friend. Nothing more."

Mike was silent for a moment. I could hear his deep breaths. I didn't bother looking at him. I knew he wouldn't understand.

"I go there and I study. I go crazy at my place."

"Why don't you come over to mine?"

"You distract me. I never get anything accomplished at your place."

"You haven't even tried," he snapped. "You have been somewhere else for a while now. You used to be a lot more fun."

My eyes widened as shock overtook me. I was stunned.

"Ever since you started school, you've become a different person."

"How dare you?" I responded calmly. "You're mad at me because I want to do something better for myself?"

"What?" Mike's eyes widened. "No, that's not what I meant. I just-I miss the way you used to be."

"I'm sorry I'm not fun for you anymore." I spat. "Why don't you find someone who is fun, then?"

I stood up, aggravated beyond belief.

"And for the record, if you had a problem with me hanging out with him, then you should have said something before. Or even approached me about it first instead of just assuming the worst."

I went to open the door, and he slammed it shut. Of course he would throw a fit. I turned around and he was fuming.

"I don't want you seeing him anymore. I don't fucking care if he is your friend."

I stared him down. I should have been afraid, but I knew he wouldn't hurt me.

"That's too bad." I opened the door and left him standing there.

The next day, I walked into Masen's Pub, feeling very conflicted.

"Do you ever feel as though you're not where you ought to be in life?" I said as soon as I saw Edward.

He looked up at me, but didn't say anything. I felt a blush creep up my face, so I looked down when I explained myself.

"I feel-I don't even really know why I'm telling you this-I feel as though I'm meant for something greater than who I am right now. That sounds very egotistical-what I mean is-I don't feel like I'm complete yet. I just haven't felt like I'm the true version of myself...of who I'm meant to be. I'm not satisfied, yet. Things aren't where they should be, yet. That sounds so stupid. And I'm not making sense. Nevermind, forget I even said anything."

I felt myself tearing up. Why was I getting upset about something that I can't even explain?

I looked up at him and he was looking at me with a contemplative expression on his face.

"What?" I whispered, afraid of speaking.

He blinked and began busying himself with cleaning.

I shared too much. Awkward. I stood up to leave.

"I-I just...know exactly what you mean," he glanced up at me. "It's kind of wild how spot-on you are. It's really comforting to know that I'm not the only one who feels that way."

I looked for any signs that he was simply humoring me.

He understood. Of course he did.

We sat there in a comfortable staring contest.

I looked away when his gaze became too much for me.

"Bella-"

"I should get going."

"Wait," he spoke gravely. "I need to talk to you."

The look in his eyes made me think that I couldn't even say no.

"Um...okay," I whispered.

"Not here," he looked around. "Um...can you just wait here one second?" He looked uncertain.

"Yeah, of course." He half-smiled and I felt myself blush. Why did he have to be so cute?

"I'll be right back."

I watched as he walked away and spoke to the woman, Leah, who glanced at me. She smiled and looked back to Edward, nodding.

He returned.

"She's a waitress here now," he clarified. I shrugged. It wasn't my business. "Follow me."

He turned and walked into the back as I awkwardly stood there. It took a second for my body to catch up with my mind, and I quickly walked through the doors Edward had disappeared through.

We finally reached a room where we could speak in private. Edward was making me nervous, and I was afraid he would tell me that he couldn't stand me or something. That he was done with whatever strange friendship we had.

He paced back and forth with a worried look on his face.

"Edward, are you okay?"

He turned to me and I gasped at the look in his eyes. It was a storm of emotions. He looked as though he was going to lose his mind.

And then the emotion changed to...relief? What was going on? Did he have some emotional problem that I was unaware of?

A soft smile spread across his face. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he looked at me like he could stand me, and liked having me around. He looked stronger.

The room got hotter.

"I'm in love with you, Bella."

My eyes widened, and I'm sure my mouth was hanging open.

I looked for any signs of humor in his eyes because that was impossible. He couldn't be in love with me. He barely knew me. But when I looked at him, I saw that he truly believed what he said.

And why would he joke about that? While Edward was a typical guy, in the past couple of weeks, I realized there was something different about him. A drive to be better, more compassionate, and caring.

His gaze was so soft and intense at the same time that my stomach filled with butterflies. My heart filled with a yearning for someone who wanted me so badly. Flashes of us being together crossed my mind. Holding hands, smiling, kissing, making love.

It was overwhelming and wonderful.

And terrifying.

The terror trumped. And as the terror took over so did my rational side. I already had a boyfriend. And I loved him. And for that reason alone, I couldn't give in to Edward. I knew what I had to do.

"Edward," I spoke softly. My tone must have alerted him to the impending rejection. The soft longing in his eyes was replaced with a blank gaze.

A guarded gaze. I felt cold, a chill that came from the wall he put up, keeping his warmth away from me.

Everything had changed with his admission.

He had lied to me. He said he just wanted to be my friend.

I wanted to cry. It was the most difficult 'no' I had to tell someone.

"I have a boyfriend," I spoke with false confidence. It was a defense mechanism. My tone sounded cold, which caused Edward to furrow his eyebrows. I looked down so I didn't have to see him. Because I was a coward. "I'd like to be your friend, Edward. That's all. I can't offer you more than that."

I couldn't give up my relationship for the man standing in front of me. Granted things between Mike and I had been rocky lately, but it was just a phase. We'd get out of it. And Edward's infatuation would fade by then. Because that's all it was.

A fleeting feeling. He wasn't in love with me.

I chanced a glance up at Edward and had expected to see anger or resignation. Instead, I saw recognition, as though he was completely aware of what I was thinking. And the recognition changed to confidence as he moved closer. I wanted to move backwards but his eyes made me feel trapped where I was.

"I'll wait," he said quietly. Then, he brought his hand up and ever so slowly ran his fingers down my cheek, leaving a burning trail. Goosebumps broke out all over my flesh as he moved closer. I felt my eyes flutter lightly and feared he would kiss me. He moved to my ear instead and whispered, "I'm not giving up."

With that he walked away from me as I turned into a puddle of goo.

And then my eyes began to water because of the guilt I felt. I would have let Edward kiss me. I would have cheated on my boyfriend.

I searched for the back entrance to leave without having to see Edward again. I pulled out my phone. I really needed someone to talk to. As the dam broke and my tears poured down my cheeks, I called the one person I knew would give me the best advice. She picked up on the first ring.

"Bella?"

I closed my eyes. "Mom."

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**Hope you enjoyed!**

**-see you soon!**

**-Bravery**


	8. Chapter 8

**It's hard to believe it's already been a week! You are all amazing and humble me with your support. I love you all!**

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I had avoided Edward for a whole week. I know. I was a coward. He thought I was angry with him. Really, though, I had no idea how to around him when he believed that he was in love with me.

Because that was just ridiculous.

He wasn't in love with me. He was confused. Very confused.

Like I was. I couldn't sleep. And when I did sleep, I had dreams about he and I getting married or being together.

_Together_ together.

I could actually feel his touch burn my skin as he dragged his fingers down my neck, across my chest, down to my navel…My body was against me.

I was going insane.

And worst of all, Mike had been correct about Edward. He didn't want to be my friend. He wanted more.

And I couldn't give him that.

But these dreams were eating at me, making me feel guilty. Like I was cheating on Mike. And even when I tried to be with Mike, I couldn't get off. Which was very fucking frustrating.

Pun one hundred percent intended.

I just needed a break from everything.

I was so grateful for my mother who had decided to come in. She had flown all the way in from Phoenix. Fortunately, she had frequent flyer miles, so she didn't have to pay for this flight. I knew I scared her with my call though.

_"Bella, baby, what's wrong?"_

_"Mom, I just need you here. Please come here."_

_"I can be there by Tuesday. Is that okay, sweetheart?"_

_I sighed. "Yes."_ _"Do you want to talk about it over the phone?"_

_"I…don't know."_ _"Will you be okay?"_

_"Yes, I think so. Would you be able to stay for a few days?"_

_"Of course."_

As soon as she arrived, we grabbed some drinks, and I told her everything, well, everything except the sex dreams. When I was finished, she leaned back in her chair, took a sip of her margarita, and grinned.

"So what do you think? It's crazy, right? He's crazy." I shook my head.

"I think I like this Edward character," she laughed.

"Mom! Seriously?"

"Yes, I don't think he is crazy," she smiled warmly. "It's actually adorable."

I should have known. "Of course you think that," I responded shaking my head.

She tilted her head. "Why would it be crazy for someone to love you, Bella?"

I looked down and shrugged. "He barely knows me."

"Really? Because from the sound of it, you have been spending an awful lot of time together."

"I know. And I have a boyfriend." She shrugged.

"It's not like your married."

"I'm not going to cheat on Mike."

She held up her hands in front of her. "I never told you to do that. I just don't think you should cut Edward out of your life."

"I don't want to," I admitted. There was something about him. And I hated it. I hated that I wanted him in my life. I couldn't have him. I didn't want him in that way. I was just his friend.

"Then don't."

And of course, the dreams continued. This time, though, I was yelling at him about something that he had done, and he had just stood there with his mouth agape. And then he kissed me and told me how much I meant to him. I woke up and tried to smother myself with my pillow.

I couldn't even distract myself with work because it was my day at the library and it was completely dead. With waitressing, it was easy to distract myself at times, especially since I was constantly on the move. But with the library, when it was dead, my mind could wander to terrible places. I forced myself to keep busy with random things like making recipes. Maybe I could make lasagna in the next couple of days. I nodded and pulled out a sheet of paper, jotting down what I would need to get from the store. I knew I had noodles, sauce and plenty of spices, but ricotta cheese and the meat was something I needed. As soon as I made my list, I felt better.

When I got home, I decided to get started, figuring I could make the lasagna for dinner tomorrow. As soon as I knew everything was perfect, I went to sleep.

The next day, I ate breakfast with my mom before heading off to work. I had made my famous ham and cheese omelets. Right as I sat down to eat, my phone beeped. I glanced down and saw that I had a message from Edward. I straightened and bit my lip.

"Is that him?" I nodded, still staring at my phone. He hadn't tried speaking with me at all since the incident. "Well, open it."

I twisted my lips and pulled my phone closer to me, just staring at it. My mom snatched it out of my hands and opened it.

"Bella, I love you. Spend the rest of your life with me." My eyes widened and I snatched it back. I looked down and the text hadn't even been opened. I scowled. "Not funny."

"You have a pass-code. How would you expect me to get in?"

I inhaled and opened the text message.

**What do you get when you cross a librarian with an elf? –E**

I frowned. What the hell? I received another text.

**A shhh…..elf! -E**

I smirked. "What did he say?" My mother asked taking a bite out of the egg. "He sent me a joke." I read it to her, and she stared at me for a moment before throwing her head back and laughing. I responded with the only dumb bartender joke I knew.

**A horse walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Why the long face?" –B**

Within seconds I received a response.

**Horrible! -E**

I laughed.

**You misspelled 'hilarious'. - B**

"You like him," my mom stated. I glanced up at her with wide eyes.

"As a friend." She narrowed her eyes.

"Right."

"Mom," I pleaded with her not to push it. "I actually have to get going. I'll be back around six for dinner." I stood up and kissed her cheek.

"I'll prepare the lasagna!" I shook my head when she said that.

"No. You're a terrible cook." She threw her napkin at me. "And you're my guest! I wouldn't dare let you make anything."

Work was uneventful. Lauren continuously asked me about Edward, wondering if he was single, my fuck-buddy-as she so eloquently put it—my boyfriend, etc.

"I have a boyfriend, Lauren. And it's not Edward." She grinned mischievously.

"Well then, looks like I'll have to introduce myself next time he is in here." I hid my dismay. He was my friend, but I couldn't imagine things working out with Lauren. He was too good for her.

"Yeah, I'll let him know you're interested."

"Thanks, Bella! You're awesome. Put in a good word for me," she winked. "And by _good word_, tell him I give really good head."

"Oh yeah, I'll definitely tell him that," I responded dryly. She laughed before sauntering off.

When my shift ended, I decided to stop by a liquor store on the way home. I browsed through, looking for red wine when I saw someone familiar. Tall brunette. Gorgeous.

_Leah._

She was there with another woman— she was another bartender —giggling and whispering.

"He's gorgeous, Kate. Like so, so gorgeous. And I think he is into me. He always talks to me, flirts…I'd totally take him in the back and do dirty things with him."

She was definitely talking about Edward.

_You're still my number one girl._

What the fuck was wrong with me? Leah could definitely take him in the back and have sex with him. I didn't care. At all.

I grabbed my wine and walked to the cashier. I set it down so hard I was surprised I didn't break the bottle. "Whoa, rough day?"

I looked up and saw a good looking, dark guy standing there. I thrust my money in his face and he grinned. His teeth were pearly white. "I must be correct."

"No, it was a good day. Thank you very much."

He continued to grin. I continued to scowl. I was impatient. I wanted my wine. Like five minutes ago.

"Can I see an ID?"

I sighed, pulled it out of my wallet, and handed it to him. He glanced at it for a moment. "Isabella…that's a pretty name."

"It's Bella." His smile dropped for a moment.

"Bella?" He narrowed his eyes as though I was a puzzle he was trying to figure out.

"Yeah, is there a problem with my name or something? It's short for Isabella. Like a nickname, you know?" I pursed my lips as he handed my license back to me. A sly smirk spread across his features.

"It's nice to meet you." He handed me my change, and I furrowed my eyebrows, uncomfortable with his supposed secret he had. I slowly walked to the door and turned my head to see that he was still grinning.

"Tell Edward I said hi when you see him next." My eyes widened and I walked back, cutting off the dumb pretty brunette that was obsessed with Edward.

"How do you know Edward?"

"Well…I met him about a month ago. He's a cool guy. We volunteer together."

"Of course," I muttered, shaking my head. Of fucking course he would volunteer. And of fucking course he would talk about me. He probably laughed about how I came into the bar so frequently.

I was pathetic.

"I work with Edward," the girl piped up behind me. I rolled my eyes and walked out as she continued to giggle with the cashier.

Frustrated, I drove home muttering to myself like a crazy person. I sucked in a breath as I walked up to my apartment and opened the door.

I sniffed the air, grateful that she hadn't tried to cook anything while I was away.

"Hey mom, I'm home!" I yelled as I set my purse down on the counter. "I brought some wine." I walked toward the dining area where I figured she would be.

"I didn't know what you wanted to…"

And there at the table was my mother.

And Edward Fucking Cullen. My stomach flipped.

"Drink."

I shook my head for a moment to clear it. However, Edward was still sitting at the table, and he refused to look at me. My mom leaned over and whispered something to him, like they were old friends or something.I swallowed and straightened my back. I could be cool. I could be calm.

"Edward. What are you doing here?" I stared him down. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Edward is staying for dinner, dear! Now, let's heat up your delicious lasagna."

Why was he here? How did he know where I lived? Why was my mother whispering secrets into his ear? What did they talk about? Edward and I were in a staring contest. His green eyes were practically looking right through me. It was unsettling. I felt as though he could read my mind.

"Bella?" My mother's voice brought me out of my thoughts as away from the pull of Edward. I looked at her.

"Yes?"

"Why don't you get changed?"

I glanced down at my work clothes. I looked horrible. I was so embarrassed. "Okay."

I turned and walked to my room without looking back. As soon as I shut the door, I leaned against it and covered my hands with my face.

"What the fuck?" I pushed myself off the door and searched for anything to wear. What was I supposed to wear? Normally, I would just put on pajamas. But, I had a guest over.

Uninvited, but still a guest.

I grabbed my jeans and threw on a t-shirt. I glanced at my reflection in my mirror. My hair was a fucking disaster. I quickly took out the hair tie, fixed loose ends, and threw it back up into a messy bun.

"Here goes nothing."

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**Thanks for reading!** **Happy 4****th****!**

**-Bravery**


	9. Chapter 9

**I apologize for not responding to reviews lately! I will be more on top of it :) But I just want all of you to know that I read and appreciate all of your words. **

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**BPOV**

Edward and my mother were chatting away as I worked up the courage to walk into the kitchen. I immediately preheated the oven and grabbed the bottle of wine and a cork screw I had bought. I also grabbed two glasses, but then rethought it and grabbed three.

I gave a tight smile as I awkwardly set everything down and began to unscrew the cork.

"Would either of you like some wine?"

My mother nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! I love wine. Edward, would you like a glass? Bella pour Edward a glass, too."

I looked up at him and he shrugged.

"Why don't you let me do that, Bella? You've been working all day."

"Don't worry about it," I shook my head.

Edward stood and walked over as I struggled with the cork screw. He was making me nervous. He placed his hand over mine and stopped my movements. I froze as he took the bottle and the cork screw from me. I glanced up at him and felt my face heat up. His eyes were on me, penetrating, drawing me in. He was magnetic, and it frightened me.

I took a step back and saw his face fall for a second. I looked away from him and to my mother who was watching us curiously. When her eyes met mine, she smiled warmly. I was confused by the whole situation.

"I'll be right back," she spoke. "I just have to use the powder room."

I couldn't help but smile at her use of the obsolete phrase.

_Only Renee..._

I looked back to Edward who was pouring the glasses. He handed me one.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The tension was thick.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know your mother was here...or that you were working." He looked worried, like I'd be mad at him.

"So what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I guess I'm having dinner with you and your mom," he grinned. "If that's alright."

"Of course it's alright, but why are you really here?" I asked. "I can't imagine that you knew we'd be having lasagna."

He smirked. "Well, I did want to try your cooking, you know, for when you become a chef at my restaurant."

I stared at him. It seemed so long ago that we had joked about that. Before he had changed things with his words. Before I started to lose my mind.

"Seriously. Did you want to talk about something? Because now is not a very good time. You're more than welcome to stay, but as you can see, my mother is here..." I rambled.

"I just wanted to see you," he stated simply. "That's all."

How could he be so open when I rejected him?

"Edward..."

"About before," he interrupted. " I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable and for making you doubt my intentions with you. I just want to be friends for now."

For now.

_I'll wait._

"I mean, just because I fell in love with you doesn't mean we can't be friends," he looked hopeful. Then he shrugged and grinned.

My jaw dropped. I was in shock about how easily he talked about it. As though it would be that easy to ignore the big elephant in the room.

I narrowed my eyes. "Is this a big joke to you?"

His face fell at my tone. "Joke?" He sounded hurt and disappointed, and immediately I felt guilty. He must have seen the change in me because his face softened. "No," he answered taking a step forward. "I would never joke about that. I can't help the way I feel, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable around me." He looked down. It was the first time that he wasn't fully confident with himself.

The room was getting smaller, and I felt myself take a step towards him.

Magnetic.

Fortunately, my mother interrupted my hypnotic state. "Bella, I think the oven beeped. Did you not hear it?"

My head snapped to her and I practically ran to the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" I whispered to myself. "Knock it off. You have a boyfriend."

And suddenly, having Mike seemed to no longer be a valid excuse. That was terrible.

I was a horrible human being. I forced open the oven and threw the dish in. I set the time and inhaled.

Then exhaled.

Then inhaled.

I walked into the dining area and grabbed my glass. Edward and my mother were already sitting again, laughing about something and I either had to sit next to Edward or across from him. I decided to sit across from him, figuring I was safer.

As my mother grilled Edward, I gulped my wine quickly until my glass was empty. Pouting, I reached for the bottle, but Edward beat me to it. He gave me a grin as he poured the glass for me. Then, he continued to answer my mother's questions about him. Most of them I knew, but a few of them were surprising.

He and his siblings are very close. He sees Emmett regularly, but he talks to Alice, his sister on a regular basis because he misses her. The tips of his ears turned pink when he admitted it. "But don't tell her that," he added with a wink. Renee giggled.

I couldn't tell if it was the wine, him, or a combination of the two, but I felt a warmth spread throughout my veins. He had even charmed my mother.

The oven beeped, letting me know the food was finished, and snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Excuse me," I stood up and walked to the kitchen. I was feeling a little tipsy, seeing as I hadn't had any food in my system and was acting like a lush. I opened the oven door to check on the lasagna and decided it was finished, then grabbed some oven mitts to take the food out. When I set it on the stove, my stomach rumbled. I let it cool off for a few minutes as I set out a towel so I didn't burn the shit out of my table.

"Coming through!" I announced. "It's really hot."

I set it down and ran back into the kitchen to get a spatula and a knife. When I returned, Edward and my mother were staring at the food. I grinned. I cut it as though I was cutting a cake and licked my lips as I did so. I closed my eyes in anticipation.

An intake of breath had me snapping my eyes open. Edward was staring at me with dark eyes. I scraped the lasagna onto a plate and continued until we had three dinners.

Each of us took our bites, inhaling awkwardly as we realized it was way too hot to eat immediately.

After a minute, Edward said, "Bella, this is the most delicious lasagna I've ever had."

My head snapped up with a mouthful of a pile of overheated noodles, cheese, and meat. I tried to chew quickly to thank him, but my mother interrupted.

"Oh, Bella, Edward had a great idea for you!" Renee practically shouted. My eyes moved from Renee's hopeful ones to Edward's hesitate green orbs.

I swallowed the carbs. "What's your idea?"

"Well, clearly you can cook," he gestured to the food. "Masen's is hiring. They're looking for a new cook and server. We already a cook, but she needs the help. Really, the menu is simple, and you have experience serving. They're the best paying out there and incredibly flexible. I can even put in a good word for you."

My mind absorbed everything he just told me. Better pay. Better hours. It would make things a lot easier.

"I'm in."

Edward raised his eyebrows. "Really? That easy?"

I took another bite and shrugged. "Best paying and flexible," I said with a mouthful of food. "You don't have to twist my arm to get me out of the job I have now."

Renee grinned. Edward grinned. I grinned. "So how do I go about applying for this position?"

"Don't worry about applying. Come in for an interview. I'll have them set something up with you."

"Absolutely not!" Mike snapped, pacing my apartment a few days later. I waited until after they offered me the job to tell him so I had something concrete. I had a feeling he wouldn't approve of me working so closely with Edward. "He just wants in your pants. That's the only reason he told you about this position."

"That's not true," I glared at him. It was insulting that he would believe that the only reason I could be offered a better job was if someone was expecting me to sleep with them. "It's a better opportunity for me. I'm killing myself trying to go to school and working at the diner with shitty hours and shitty pay. I hate it there."

"What about the library?" He responded. I narrowed my eyes waiting for him to clarify. "You know that if you weren't working there, you'd have more time. It's not like that pays well."

"Hello!" I was exasperated. "That's my career choice. It's my foot in the door. And I love it there."

"Okay, keep that job at the library-"

"Already was planning on it."

"-but you can't work with that guy. He doesn't care about you, Bella."

_I'm in love with you._

"He doesn't give a shit that you're working so much."

I frowned.

"And he probably does this all the time. Gets a girl's hopes up, making them think they're so good at their job, and then sleeps with them. Then drops them like they're yesterday's news."

He was wrong.

"You sound like a crazy person. I'm taking this job," I crossed my arms. "They offered it to me because I'm _qualified_. Edward just got me the interview."

"No."

"No, what?" I snapped.

"You're not taking this job."

"I am."

"I won't allow it."

My eyes widened. "You can't control me, Michael."

"I'm your boyfriend."

I was outraged and shocked. For a brief moment, I wondered what happened to the boy I first started dating. The one who was so supportive. This one-the power-hungry man in front of me-was not the one I had intended on being with. He hadn't been for a while. It was heartbreaking to make that realization now. We had grown apart. I needed my independence and he didn't want that.

"I'm taking this job. And if you have a problem with it, then maybe..." I swallowed.

"Maybe what?" His blue eyes hardened. I swallowed my words at the harsh look on his face. But then I thought about what would happen if I didn't take the job. I would still be miserable. I would still be stuck. I would barely sleep. I would come to resent Mike. I inhaled and finished my sentence.

"Maybe this isn't going to work out anymore."

The words sat in the room as I watched the different emotions flash across Mike's face.

"Are you kidding me? Don't you see what this guy is doing to you? He has you all confused, trying to change your entire life-"

"This is all me," I interrupted quiet. "I want out. I haven't been happy in a long time. It's been everything..." My voice cracked. I refused to let him see me cry. "I can't do this anymore. I need you to leave."

"What?" He stared me down. "No, I-"

"Please go," I sat down.

"Bella," he whispered. I looked up and saw the fear. The genuine fear of him losing me.

"Mike," I gave a watery smile. "We need to break up."

"I don't want to. Bella, I love you."

I closed my eyes as I heard the chair scrape across the floor. "We are different people now. We want different things. And that's okay."

"I want you."

I opened my eyes and saw unshed tears in his eyes. "You don't want me anymore. Not this me. I'm not the same girl anymore, and it has nothing to do with Edward Cullen."

That was partially a lie. He had sparked something, but the rest was me.

The silence was deafening. Mike's shoulders slumped. "I know."

The feelings that came with his statement overwhelmed me. Something heavy left my shoulders and settled into my heart. A large lump formed in my throat as I realized that it was over.

I was free.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**Same deal as before. If I get 20 reviews, I'll post another chapter Saturday!**

**-Bravery**


	10. Chapter 10

**I am astounded by the response the last chapter received. Way beyond my expectations. I seriously just love you all :) I tried to get back to everyone in the reviews, but I sincerely apologized if there was someone I missed. **

**I read and appreciate all of your reviews. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

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I sat at my dining room table, attempting to cram as much studying in the few days I didn't have to work. It was glorious, but I couldn't stop thinking about how everything had changed just in the past week.

I felt a little lost the day I told my boss I was quitting the diner. That shouldn't have been the case. I would be starting my new job very soon, and my now former boss took it surprisingly well.

However, I just couldn't be excited about it. It seemed that as soon as I started my new job with Masen's, it would solidify the end of an era, and to be more specific, the end of my relationship with Mike

And while I knew that was a good thing, I was still heartbroken over the situation. I still cared about him even if I didn't love him. My brain and my heart were in cahoots with one another. It was as though they were laughing at me, knowing that I was slowly going insane.

Only once did Mike try to get back together with me. It was through a drunken call that had me choking up by the end of the conversation. He reminded me of the better times-the times when had so much fun and when things weren't so complicated. Our first date when I couldn't help but kiss him after he told me how much he already liked me. When he came and picked me up to meet his parents and to make me feel less nervous, he cracked jokes at his own expense. Things were good then. I missed those days so much that I almost went back on my word.

Almost.

It would be very easy to go back with Mike. I knew, though, that I would regret it. He didn't love me; I didn't love him. We would never be happy. We would never grow. We would come to resent one another.

So I couldn't do it. I couldn't take him back. As a result, just last night, after my last day at the diner, I went into the alley behind my apartment and set that fucking waitressing uniform on fire.

I would not go back. That was truly the end.

I rubbed my eyes and stood up, grabbing my keys from the counter. Since I couldn't focus on studying, I might as well be doing something else productive. I had to go out and buy some comfortable black pants. Or five pairs. The cheapest I could find.

As I drove to the nearest department store, my mind still raced. Things were going to work out. They had to.

I hoped.

And then there was Edward. I hadn't heard from him since he sent me a congratulatory text message after he heard I would be joining him at Masen's. I started in three days.

That soon. Despite all of the self-loathing over the Mike situation, I grinned when I pulled into the parking lot.

When I entered the store, I didn't let anything deter me. I went straight for the pants. As I looked through the clearance rack, I groaned in frustration when I realized they had every size but mine.

"Bella?" A woman's voice startled me out of my glaring at the clothing.

I turned and saw Esme Cullen standing in front of me. I literally couldn't go anywhere without running into something, or in this case, someone, who reminded me of Edward.

And she did. I hadn't noticed the time before, but this time, I saw how attractive she was. And her brown hair that had a hint of red in it. I would say that I could see where Edward got his good looks from in her, but his father was equally as stunning.

What a blessed gene pool.

However, the dark circles under her eyes had me concerned. I had a feeling it was the same reason Edward had seemed so exhausted lately.

"Hi, Mrs. Cullen, how are you?" I asked. She walked over to me and hugged me. So she was a hugger. I hesitantly wrapped my arms around her.

"Oh Bella, it's so good to see you," she said in my ear, before pulling away but still holding my arms. "Call me Esme. I'm doing well. Or as well as I can be. With everything going on with Carlisle..." She shook her head and smiled. What was going on with Carlisle? "So I hear that you're working at Masen's now?"

I nodded. "Yes, I am. Well, I start this week. Did Edward tell you that?"

She grinned. "Of course, dear. He always talks about you. Oh, if only you were single." She giggled.

Little did she know.

"So, how is Carlisle doing?" I asked, hoping she could give me more information. I supposed I could ask Edward. Esme's expression changed and she looked exhausted.

"He's been going to his chemo treatments, and it is taking its toll on him," she shook her head. A lump formed in my throat. Edward's father had cancer? Why didn't he tell me? "He will get better though. I've been praying like it's my job." Her cheek lifted and her eyes warmed. The green in them reminded me of Edward. "He's my better half, so I'm going to stay by his side."

Oh Esme. I put my arms around her and pulled her close to me. "I'll be praying, too. Please tell me if there is anything I can do."

When I pulled back, she had tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Bella. Have you eaten? Let's grab some lunch. On me."

"Oh you don't have to do that," I shook my head, mentally calculating how much money I would have after buying the pants.

"Nonsense," she threw up her hands. "I'm buying you some lunch. You're too thin!"

She grabbed my wrist and dragged me to the door. The pants could wait another day.

Of course, we went to Masen's. I couldn't get away from that place if I tried. Not that I had tried or had complained about it. But I was a little worried about seeing Edward. I hadn't seen him since before I broke up with Mike.

We walked in and I glanced around looking for him. Esme caught my eye and grinned knowing who I was looking for. I blushed.

We sat down in a booth and I sat facing Esme so I wouldn't be tempted to look for Edward.

Esme waved someone over. I cringed, but when I realized it was just a waitress, I relaxed.

I should have felt bad or immature, but I didn't. I was single now, so I didn't have to hold back my jealousy over her infatuation with Edward. Because, I'll face it, I was jealous.

"Hi, I'm Leah, I'll be taking care of you ladies today."

"Hi Leah, I'm Esme, Edward's mother," Esme pointed out, proudly. I smiled.

"It's lovely to meet you, Esme," Leah's eyes widened. "Edward is an amazing person."

"I'm Bella," I interrupted like an awkward child. Leah looked to me, recognition overtaking her features. She was really fucking pretty. It was annoying how someone could be so beautiful.

"You're Bella?" She grinned. I frowned.

"Yes."

"It's very nice to finally meet you," she said it, and surprisingly, she meant it. I was confused.

"Um..." I started to speak. "Have-have you heard about me? Because this is the second time this has happened where someone has said, 'it's nice to finally meet you.'" I could feel my face heating up as Esme looked amused.

"Who else has said that to you?"

"This guy at the liquor store. He works behind the counter."

Her smile dropped as wariness overcame her features. "You know Jacob?"

"Who?"

"He's the guy who works there," she mumbles as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Oh, yeah, I guess so."

"And he knows you?" She asked carefully.

"Apparently so," I narrowed my eyes.

"Oh," she sounded disappointed.

"I'm confused," I blurted out. Esme started laughing.

"Sorry, can I get you ladies something to drink?" She turned back on her waitress charm and took our drink orders. My eyes and body followed her as she walked back to the bar to speak to someone.

Not just someone-Edward. He was smiling as she talked to her.

Fuck. We made eye contact. I swiveled back around with wide eyes. Why I was so incredibly uncomfortable as a human being...I wasn't sure.

"Do you know who Jacob is?" I asked Esme.

"Jacob? I-I'm not sure. I want to say he is a part of the volunteer program that Edward is doing."

"Oh," I responded, remembering that the Jacob fella had told me that.

"I think someone is a little jealous," Esme grinned.

"I'm not jealous!"

"Not you," she laughed. "Her. Did you see how skeptical she was of you once she knew that you met that Jacob guy?"

"What?" I was in disbelief. She nodded.

"Hey there," a voice made me flinch.

Edward was standing at our table looking back and forth between us as a small smile tugged at his lips. His eyes were dancing. I looked at Esme.

"Mom," he said. She grinned up at him. "Bella." My eyes shot to his and the warmth was there.

"Edward, dear," Esme spoke up. "Bella here is very popular these days."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Everybody that knows you seems to know her."

"Oh, that's because I like her." He winked at me. I shook my head at him.

"You've been talking to people about me?"

"Yes." He doesn't even deny it.

"What have you been saying?"

"Only good things," he grinned.

"Here are your drinks," Leah interrupted, setting them down. "Edward, you can flirt with your girlfriend another time."

"I'm not his girlfriend."

She smirked. "Honestly, you might as well be."

"Leah," Edward warned. "Do you want me to have a talk with Jake?"

Her eyes widened and she pretended to zip her lips. He laughed at her and walked back to the bar.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "I haven't even known Edward very long, but you'll probably end up marrying him. He seems to get what he wants because he is so darn sweet. So do you know what you want to eat or do you need a couple more minutes?"

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**Thanks for reading!**

**-Bravery**


	11. Chapter 11

**I know! I know! I was horrible this week with both updating and responding to reviews. I read them all, smiled sooooo much because of you love readers, and I wanted to make sure that this chapter was good enough for you. It wasn't ready, and even right now, I'm still nervous to post it, so please give me grace! I love you all for your patience and support :)**

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The dreams of course continued.

_"Harder, please!"_

_He thrust deeper into me as I lay over the desk in an unfamiliar office. I try to focus on every wall as he pushes into me. Nothing is jogging my memory. It's too much and I'm doing everything not to cry out._

_"Please," I beg again as he hits my special spot and my eyes roll back into my head. "Oh!"_

_"Be quiet," he hisses glancing briefly at the door from above me. His eyes meet mine as his expression changes. In his orbs, I see a green sky, right before a tornado, eerily still and beautiful. And within that sky, I see the heat that meets the cold front, and suddenly, within his irises, I completely understand the eye of the storm. His gaze is intense and unwavering, as I try with all my might not to tear up. I focus on breathing in and out, as his hand creeps down and starts rubbing me. I cry out._

_When my orgasm hits me, I sob into his neck, not quite understanding why I'm so emotional. He continues moving and pulls back. His hand grips my face and he kisses me forcefully as his thrusts become more erratic._

_"I love you so much," I whisper as I feel him spill into me. He groans into my ear and collapses on me. He pants against my face. I lift my hand and stroke his sweaty hair at the base of his neck. When he finally calms, he pulls back and kisses me slowly. His eyes are no longer as desperate as they were but rather softer, more tender._

_"I love you more, Bella. Now let's clean up and get back to work. They probably heard us," he laughs._

I shot up out of bed and felt moisture against my eyes. My dream was still fresh in my mind. I rubbed my eyes to rid them of the tears. I swallowed as a sob escaped me and tried to rid myself of my dream.

It was Edward, that was clear, but the most disturbing part about it was how vivid it was. I could easily describe what that office looked like, even if I had never been inside it in person.

I had a feeling I knew why I had the dream. The other day, I had told Edward that I had broken up with Mike.

_"My mom didn't hound you too badly, did she?" He asked when I went in the for my schedule. I made sure to avoid Leah before she brought up that I was going to marry Edward._

_"No, but I can see where you get your persistence," I smiled. Lunch with his mother had been pretty uneventful after Edward went back to work and Leah quit bugging me about him. She did continue to talk him up, saying things like "Edward is so driven..." "Isn't Edward good looking?" "Edward is awesome.." Blah blah blah._

_"Well, I'm hoping eventually that persistence will pay off," he chuckled. "Sorry about Leah, though. I know she can be overbearing at times. I told her you have a boyfriend, so she should leave you alone."_

_"About that..." I stuttered. "We broke up."_

_He stared at me for a moment before looking down and started cleaning a glass. I frowned. His jaw clenched and I could see the muscles work in his neck as he swallowed. "Are you okay?" He asked carefully._

_"Oh yeah," I waved him off. "I'm totally fine. It was a long time coming. We were growing in two different directions and..." I started picking at my finger nails. "Yeah."_

_"You don't have to do that."_

_"Do what?" My eyes met his. I could see his concern and his frustration._

_"Downplay your feelings about the situation."_

_"I-I don't know what you're talking about," I swallowed and looked down again._

_"Hey," his soft voice pulled me back up. "It's okay to be upset about it even if you were both going different ways."_

_"Thank you," I responded quietly._

_"It's what friends are for," he winked. I grinned despite my mood-killing love life._

"Ugh!" I threw back the covers and got out of bed to take a shower. I didn't care how early it was or the fact that I didn't have work until later that evening. I turned on the faucet and splashed my face. Glancing at my reflecting, I realized that I looked wired, hyper aware. I shook my head and turned on the water to the shower.

"What the fuck is wrong with me?" I said to myself as I scrubbed my hair. It must have been everything that was getting to me. Or I was PMSing. That was it.

When I finished my shower, I felt a heck of a lot better and made myself some breakfast. I remembered that i had to call Rose and went to check my phone. I had four text messages.

One from my mom, two from Rosalie, and one from Edward.

**Good luck on your first day! -E**

**Sweetheart, I think I left my reading glasses at your apartment. Let me know! Love you! -Mom**

**Uh. I just got my period. -R**

**And I am so horny. -R**

I laughed and briefly looked through my phone's calendar to check when I should be expecting mine.

I froze.

8 days ago.

That couldn't be right.

_No._

"What the fuck?" I gasped. "What the FUCK?"

How had I not realized I hadn't gotten it?

I began pacing in my towel.

I couldn't be...

No. There was no way. It was _impossible_.

Actually that wasn't true; it was very possible, but I couldn't have a kid. I didn't want a_ kid_.

"Calm down, Bella," I whispered to myself. "You're probably just late because a lot of shit has been going on."

I quickly got dressed in a T-shirt and shorts. Quickly, I rushed down the stairs and I realized that I had yet to buy black pants for work.

"Son of a bitch! I'm losing my mind."

As I drove, I decided I would buy the pants first and then a pregnancy test. That way, if I were to find out I was pregnant...well, I would already have my black pants.

I rushed to the nearest department store and bypassed the salespeople who greeted me and went straight for the clothing racks.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," I groaned when I realized they didn't have my size. I checked the time and figured I'd have enough time to run to a different store a couple miles away.

A more expensive store. A store that had price inflation and made me hate everyone.

Fortunately, they had my size, but I had to spend a ridiculous amount of time finding _any_ type of sale. I even had a bargain talk with the sales rep.

"Ma'am, I actually can't give you a discount," the young man said.

"I can find this exact same pair of pants just down the street for fifteen dollars cheaper. Do you _want_ to lose a customer? Shouldn't you beat the price of your competitors? I just want some quality black pants that I can _afford_. You're only catering to one demographic by making this so expensive, and what _rich_ person is going to need black pants for a job as a server when they clearly don't even need that serving job? They have better jobs that don't require these ugly ass black pants. And that's probably why you have so many left, so are you going to give me a deal or not?"

Before that moment, I had never ever done something remotely close to that for fear of embarrassing Mike or basically _any_ other human being I was with.

Right now, I couldn't care less. I was possibly pregnant and freaking out.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you."

I got a $20 off coupon.

However, because that took so long, I had to run home and get dressed for work, hoping I could spare a few minutes to stop at the store and put my mind at ease.

Unfortunately, I only spared myself about four minutes, so I literally was only able to run in, buy the test and run back out.

So, I made it to work, five minutes early with no time to pee on a stick, and no free time until the bar closed. The only downside of this training on my first day (other than the fact that I needed to know if I was a host for a parasite and it was preventing me from doing so) was that it required me to stay until close. No other day would I have to stay that late, but of course, tonight, _of all nights_, it was a requirement.

It was_ terrific_ timing.

The woman training me was named Margaret, and she was the type of person with a no-bullshit attitude, which was perfect because it (almost) kept me from thinking about what I needed to do in the bathroom. I was cooking and serving, cooking and serving, trying to keep myself as busy as possible, but my anxiety was at an all time high. People were looking at me strangely as I served them food. Fortunately, I had no complaints. In fact, I was commended.

"You're doing well, Swan," Margaret told me. When I got orders right on the first try, she raised her eyebrows in approval. I tried to hide my smirk because, yeah, I felt awesome. That was until she added, "You know...Edward was right about you. You are a very driven girl."

"Thanks," I smiled, grabbing another plate and running it out.

It really didn't help that Edward was currently working. I could feel his eyes on me as I ran in and out of the kitchen. When I would glance at him, he'd give me a reassuring smile, to which I would force a grin. He could tell, though, I knew, that something was up. Each time I glanced at him, he looked more and more concerned. I tried to avoid him because I didn't want to tell him.

I didn't want him to judge me. His opinion had become very important to me.

I knew it was only a matter of time before he would approach me. I kept glancing at the time, waiting anxiously for the kitchen to close so that I could just focus on serving the drinks that Edward poured. Last call for food was midnight. Last call for drinks was 1:30. And I knew that once I was done serving food, Edward would ask me what was wrong with me.

I was like an open fucking book.

Once midnight hit, I was still serving food. Some asshole, not uncommon, but still annoying, decided to put in an order at 11:55. His food wasn't ready until 12:20, but it wasn't out until 12:25. So, I had a solid hour of serving drinks left with Edward. And it was really annoying because I saw exactly how he got his tips.

I had noticed this before, but to see him in action while I was working was a different story. He flirted with the pretty girls, and one of them, I overhead talking about how she had planned on getting him into her bed.

"He is so fuckable," I heard her say as I served her her drinks. The most annoying part was that she would deliberately not order from me so that she could get his attention at the bar.

"Edward!" I snapped when I went up there for a drink order. He was sweet-talking some girl who looked a though she was in middle school. He glanced at me and gave her a quick smile before moving over to me.

"Yeah?" He didn't sound annoyed. He didn't sound...anything. He did look very cautious as he approached me.

"Is it normally like this?" I asked. He frowned and looked around.

"It's not that busy..."

"No, I mean, do girls normally completely ignore the waitresses and order from you?"

He narrowed his eyes, but then a slow smirk spread across his face. "Well, yeah, but I think it's fair since you ladies get all the guy customers. And don't worry, a lot more will be coming in when they hear about you."

I forced a smile. "Right."

There was a brief moment in which his eyes roamed my face. "Are you okay, Bella?"

_No._

"I'm fine," I nodded. "And thank you again, Edward, for getting me this job."

He shook his head. "That was all you, but we will talk later." He grabbed a bottle of beer. "I have some tips to get."

I hated the fact that my dream caused me to appreciate the way he smoothly walked back over to that girl. I loathed that my dream made me enjoy the way his shirt clung to his muscles. I despised even more that my dream made me feel jealous of the way he was talking to Puberty Julie over there.

I finished out the night, making decent tips, and when Edward made last call, I sighed in relief. I was ready to blow this Popsicle stand and find a bathroom to pee on a Popsicle stick. Edward seemed suspicious of my anxious behavior and when the last person finally left and everyone was out of earshot, he looked around and finally asked me.

"What is _with_ you tonight?"

"What do you mean?" I responded cautiously.

"You're acting like you're expecting someone to mug you," his facial expression became grim. "Mike isn't bothering you, is he?"

I smirked at the irony of the situation. "Not in the way you think."

"What?"

"Nothing."

I walked past him and walked into the back. I jumped when I heard his voice behind me. Of course he had followed me back there.

"Can you please tell me what is going on with you? You're freaking me out, which is difficult to do, considering the circumstances."

_Circumstances?_

I wasn't sure what he meant by that so I grabbed my purse out of a locker and quickly turned to him.

"What are you talking about? What circumstances?" He was frozen and didn't respond. I waited for a moment and finally growled. "What? I've had a long day. What is it? Why are you staring at my like that?"

It was then I realized he wasn't staring at me, but he was staring at my bag. I slowly glanced down to realize that something was sticking out.

_My pregnancy test._

I wanted to vomit as I looked into his eyes and saw not betrayal, not disgust, not hurt, not pity.

My eyes watered. I was so ashamed.

I was sick to my stomach because he looked...

Well, he looked like he didn't give a shit.

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**Okay, a lot happened in this chapter! Yikes, but I'm going to be out of town this weekend, so again, I will post _Monday_, if I get a super awesome response for this chapter. I really take into consideration what you have to say, as I hope you have noticed. **

**...So 30 reviews and I'll post Monday?**

**Love you!**

**-Bravery**


	12. Chapter 12

**Holy crap. I am astounded by the amount of reviews I received for the last chapter. I read all of the reviews and loved each of them! I am so deeply humbled by you all :) this chapter will be a wee bit angsty, so bear with me? We hit 30 yesterday so that's why there was no post Monday.**

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There have only been a few moments in my life where I have been completely ashamed of myself. The first time happened to be when I accidentally killed my goldfish because I forgot to feed it. I cried for three days. The second time was when I had to call my dad to pick me up from the bar when my friends ditched me. We had fake IDs. I was only 19. He grounded me for three weeks. The third time was when I had failed my first lit paper. Apparently, I had misunderstood the directions and wrote a plot summary instead of an analysis. Lesson learned.

None of those instances could even infinitesimally compare to the way I felt when Edward saw the pregnancy test in my bag.

"Um...I...I...I should leave," I stuttered. He was blocking my way and wouldn't budge. I felt my eyes well up as he stared at me. He didn't say a word. He didn't do anything. He simply watched me. I thought I was going to scream. "Say something, please."

"Why?" He narrowed his eyes in confusion. Or irritation. I couldn't tell.

"Because..." I looked down, not knowing why I needed him to say something. I needed him to say anything. To yell at me. To hate me. Anything at all. I felt as though this was the turning point in our friendship. This would be the moment when he realized that I wasn't worth it and that he didn't really love me. I felt a tear slip down my cheek. I quickly wiped it, not wanting him to see me cry. I wasn't sure exactly when Edward's opinion had come to mean so much to me, but there it was. His opinion had become the most important to me. "I don't...I don't even know if I am. I really don't. I wanted to take it before I came to work, but I didn't have time." I shook my head and looked him square in the eye. "I don't want to be pregnant with Mike's kid. I don't...I don't even want kids."

He winced when I said that and looked down, still not saying anything. Perfect. The person who had become my best friend couldn't even looking at me. I walked to step around him and he grabbed my wrist. I glanced up at him and swallowed. His eyes were no longer guarded, and I could see the pain that lingered.

"I have no claim over you," he whispered. "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't think I could live with myself if you hated me." My voice seemed loud as I stated my deepest fear. He furrowed his eyebrows. "You mean a lot to me, Edward. If I am...this changes everything."

His eyes scanned my face as if he was memorizing my features. I feared for a moment that he was going to say goodbye. "Take it here."

"What?"

"Can you do it here, please?"

I nodded and walked away to the bathroom. I opened the door and shut it, clicking the lock into place. I pressed my back against the mirror and looked at my reflection. I looked...terrified.

I really didn't want to have that connection with Mike. I didn't want to be tied to him in any way. I let my mind wander for a moment. I would have to tell him if I was pregnant. My stomach went sour. We would not get married, we'd have to trade off this kid probably every weekend because there was no way in hell Mike wouldn't want to see it. I would have to quit school to make more money. I'd have to quit my librarian job and get a better paying job. I would give up my dreams because I knew I would end up loving this child.

I felt defeated.

For a moment, I let my mind wander in a different direction. Toward the seed that had been planted in my brain by the man standing in the bar, waiting for me to crush his dreams. My mind jumped to him, what it would be like to marry him. He would open up his bar before we got married because we would need the extra money. I would be in school and working there at the same time, while doing part time work at the local library. We would struggle financially for a year probably, maybe more before the bar started making any money. But I would finish school in the meantime and once I finished, I'd be a full-time librarian and working at the bar whenever I was free. We'd spend our evenings and mornings together and once we were on our feet, we'd buy a house. And then we'd try to have children. There would be little versions of us, a girl with bronze hair and brown eyes, or maybe a boy with my dark hair and Edward's piercing eyes.

I longed for that life, even if it wouldn't end up being with him.

I set down my bag on the sink and took out the pregnancy test. I read the directions and realized that I couldn't pee. I was too nervous and too dehydrated.

"Fuck."

I opened the door and stepped out. Edward shot up out of his seat and opened his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it.

"I need liquids..." I blushed as I walked over to him.

"Right," he went behind the bar and grabbed two water bottles, setting them down in front of me. "Drink up."

"Can you distract me? Tell me some things that I don't know?" I mumbled as I gulped my water.

"Sure," he said. "What do you want to know?"

I hesitated for a moment. "When you first met me, why did you think you were going to marry me? I mean...I'm a mess. You didn't even know me."

His gaze softened. "You're going to think I'm crazy."

I raised my eyebrow. He smirked.

"I dreamed about you."

I froze. "You...what do you mean?"

"I had a dream about our life together," he rushed. "I know it sounds insane, and I thought I was insane. I didn't think you were real, but then I met you."

I was quiet for a moment. "I bet I wasn't what you expected."

His eyes darkened and pulled me in. "You're exactly who I expected."

"What...what else did you dream about?"

"My family," he said. "My dad, mostly."

"Edward...what...what is going on with your dad?"

His eyes focused on the wooden bar. "He is sick. He...he is going to die."

"Did the doctor tell you that?" I asked.

"No."

"Then why do you say that?"

His eyes met mine. "Because I know." The unshakable certainty in his eyes frightened me.

I moved to him and put my arms around him. "I'm so sorry, Edward." He pulled me to him but didn't say anything. I tried not to focus on the fact that he smelled good even after a crazy busy shift. It was unfair. After a moment, I pulled back.

"Thank you, Bella," he smiled slightly. I shrugged and felt a slight pressure on my bladder.

"Well...it looks like I have to go and take care of business," I spoke quietly, the dread creeping into my voice. I stepped back.

"I'll be right here, Bella."

I could do this. All I had to do was pee on a stick. I inhaled, straightened my back, and headed to the bathroom.

I locked the door again, not really sure why I felt the need to. I shook my head, pulled out my phone, and grabbed the test. I set my alarm on my phone for four minutes. I sat down on the toilet and pushed. I was still nervous, so I basically had to force it out. When I finished, I waited.

Nothing had ever seemed longer in my entire life. Nothing.

I tried to distract myself, to think about what Edward had told me about his dreams and his father, but I was only brought back to the situation at hand.

What would I do if I was pregnant? What would I do if I wasn't?

What would my mom say? What would people think of me? What would Edward think of me?

I felt my eyes well up as the questions ran through my mind. It was overwhelming and terrifying. I was shaking.

And before I knew it, my alarm was going off.

"Here goes nothing." With trembling hands, I reached for the small test. I closed my eyes, said a small prayer, and opened them.

"Oh my God," I gasped. I quickly washed my hands, fumbled with the lock, and rushed out of the bathroom. "Edward!"

"What?" He stood abruptly. "Do you know?" He rushed to me. "What is it?"

"It...it's negative," I smiled. "Well, I mean, these aren't always right, but I...well, I should go to a doctor, but I...I don't think I'm pregnant. I-"

I was cut off by his lips meeting mine.

My mind didn't completely process what was happening because I wasn't prepared. When things began to register that I was, in fact, kissing Edward, things changed.

I gasped and he took full advantage. His hands gripped my waist and pulled me closer so that I couldn't get away. And quietly frankly, I wasn't sure I would try even if he hadn't had a tight grip of me. As his lips moved against mine, I felt mine respond. Things-feelings-I had been fighting were pulled to the surface. I shoved them back down so I could simply enjoy. I focused on the rough stubble of his chin and the way his lips pushed and sucked my own. I felt the way his eyelashes brushed against my cheekbone. I tried to focus on his strong hold on me-how I was dwarfed in his arms-how safe I felt, but those feelings crept back up and began to suffocate me. As his hand crept up to my cup my cheek, I pulled back. I sucked in a breath and his lips were back on mine. My mind felt cloudy and unfocused and I couldn't remember why he was kissing me or why I wanted to stop it. I felt as though I was stuck in some weird daze.

I had been buoyant, just floating, content with things that were going on. Then, I was struggling, swimming hard, tiring myself out. And suddenly, I was being pulled under, falling, drowning, chaotic. It was as though Edward had brought the chaos.

A beautiful fucking chaotic mess.

He pulled away from me, panting.

"I'm glad you're not pregnant."

"Me too."

* * *

**Holy F word, I'm exhausted from this chapter. I hope you enjoyed!**

**-Bravery**


	13. Chapter 13

Things changed after the pregnancy scare. I had gone to the doctor to confirm that no, I was not pregnant, but knowing that was a possibility with where I currently was...seemed frightening. I wasn't ready.

So I worked harder.

And I couldn't afford any distractions. That included my biggest current distraction, Edward.

At Masen's, we were on almost every shift together. People would place their orders with me, and I would repeat them back incorrectly. When I would walk over to get a drink from the bar for a customer, Edward would make sure his hand would graze mine as he handed it over. He would then give me a crooked smile, which I would blush over and try to avoid having to go back to the bar. For some reason though, everyone wanted to get wasted. So, I was continuously returning to him.

I requested three more Cosmos for a table full of rowdy women. Apparently it was girls' night out and the men were the DDs.

"Bella, I'm beginning to think that you are simply coming over here to see me," Edward smirked.

"What?"

"Don't deny it."

My jaw dropped. _He was infuriating._

"Um...no, that's not-I can't help it that these people won't stop ordering-"

"Hey," he interrupted softly. "I'm just kidding. You're working and kicking ass. And I am enjoying seeing you so much."

_And he was unrelenting and sweet._

As he set the drinks on my tray, I noticed his fingers. They were so long.

_And distracting._

_And suffocating._

I couldn't figure out if I wanted to run away from him or sleep with him. Avoid him or kiss him. It was more troubling now that I knew how his lips felt on mine.

_Focused._

I had to remain focused.

_School, work, eat, sleep_.

No men. He needed to stop looking at me, and he needed to stop using his hands.

"Thank you, Edward."

When I came back to the table, I heard the women there speaking about who I could only assume to be Edward.

"...and that jaw! If I was single and ten years younger, the things I would do!" They all laughed. I set the three cosmos down and asked if they needed anything else.

The one who had been talking about his jaw spoke up. "Girl, that bartender!" They all giggled again. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Are you and he..." She wiggled her eyebrows.

"No." _Not that it's any of your business._

"Bull! You two have been practically undressing each other with your eyes."

I flushed, annoyed with her keen eye. "If there's nothing else-"

"Leave her alone, Margaret," one of the other women slurred. "She's juss tryin' to do her job."

"Okay, okay!" Margaret put her hands up in defense. "We'd just like the bill, please."

"Of course." I turned around and clenched my teeth as I had to walk back over to the bar to close their bill. I walked to the cash register furthest away from Edward because I didn't want to deal with any remarks from drunken women.

I felt him, _smelled_ him, before I heard him. "Everything okay?"

"Fine." I didn't look at him because I couldn't look at him. My eyes remained focus on the task at hand.

_What was I doing again?_

"You seem...tense."

"Nope," I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the screen. When I finally printed the receipt, I turned and gave him a grin to show him I was fine.

His face softened, and for a moment, he seemed dazed. He stepped closer and a small smile tugged at his lips.. "I know that it might be inappropriate to ask in the workplace, but..." His eyes darkened, but I could still see the worry and hope in them. "May I take you out to dinner?"

I opened my mouth to answer.

"Excuse me, when you stop flirting with that pretty lady, can I get another beer?" We both looked to the voice and saw a man waving his empty glass.

"Um, yeah sorry," Edward answered the guy and quickly poured him another. Then he turned back to me, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes," I blurted out without thinking and looked away.

"Yes?"

I froze for a moment as I realized what I said. Panic overtook me. I was supposed to be staying away from him, not agreeing to go out with him. What was I thinking? I needed to remain focused, but...he was so sweet...and he was the reason why I had a better paying job. But I needed to prove I deserved it...and I needed to have no distractions.

"Bella?"

I sucked in a breath and turn to him. His eyes were filled with amusement and...worry. Had I just seen the amusement, I would have said no. I would have simply understood that it really wasn't a big deal to him if I turned him down.

However that hope...that hope was the reason why I responded, "yeah, I'll go out with you, Edward."

He looked at me in disbelief and for a moment, I felt guilty that he would think I was messing with him.

"When?" I grinned and the pure...joy that overcame his face overwhelmed me. He was adorable.

"That...that's great," he chuckled. "I want to take you out tomorrow. Are you available tomorrow? Sorry, I know you're busy, but I want to take you out...like, yesterday."

His babbling made me so warm. This guy was the one who wanted to take me out? This handsome guy who felt insecure asking someone like me out? I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.

"I can't tomorrow," I said, "but if you're free the next day, I...I'll go out with you."

I could tell that he was trying to hold back a grin. "That will work."

I nodded and walked back to the table to give the drunk women their bill. They were staring at me.

"Here you are, ladies," I smiled. "Whenever you're ready."

"The hot bartender is still watching you," Margaret said. "I'm jealous."

"Leave her alone, Margaret! And you're married! You shouldn't be jealous."

Margaret grinned secretively. "You're right. My hubby should be here soon." She winked at me. "I'm going to let him take advantage of me tonight."

I laughed. "Okay, I'll be back in a couple of minutes." I walked back to the bar shaking my head. I took a seat on the stool and sighed.

Edward was washing glasses. "What?"

"Crazy drunk ladies."

He laughed. "What did they do?"

"Well one of them is going to allow her husband to take advantage of her tonight." He grinned like he had a secret. "They also keep talking about you."

"What are they saying? Good things, I hope?"

"Terrible things," I joked. "About how you only got this job because you're handsome."

"You think I'm handsome?" He looked hopeful.

"Please," I rolled my eyes. "You know you're handsome."

"Oh, I know," he pointed to his face. "That's not what I asked, though."

"Hmm," I pretended to think, feeling silly with this conversation. "I think...you're pretty. So pretty." I pinched his cheek as he glared at me. I knew he wasn't really mad because his eyes were dancing. "You know. Your eyes always give you away. If it weren't for your eyes, I would have no idea what you were thinking."

"What am I thinking now?" His voice lowered as I dropped my hand from his face. His eyes were speaking volumes, and it was exciting and terrifying. It was the same look he gave me before he kissed me. I felt my whole body heating up as the intensity of his gaze hypnotized me.

A loud laugh broke me out of the spell, and I stood.

"I...don't know."

"Liar," he smiled sadly. Then his eyes focused on something behind me. "I think your drunk ladies are waiting for you."

I nodded and turned to walk back to the table. There were men there this time, all of which were laughing at their drunken women. I grabbed the bill with their cash in it and one of them yelled, "keep the change!"

"Thank you!" I watched them for a moment-the women trying to seduce the men-and thought to myself...I would never do that in public. I raised my eyebrows at Edward and tilted my head in the direction of the women seducing their husbands. He stifled a grin.

The next morning, before class, I searched through my closet to figure out what I would wear for the date with Edward. Rosalie was fortunately over to help me pick out what to wear.

"It's about time!" she squealed when I told her over the phone.

"Rose...it's just a date," I mumbled at her freak out. "I need your help with an outfit, though."

"I'll be over in five minutes."

And we were ripping apart my closet because apparently I had no sense of fashion, and I was too broke to remedy that.

"Jesus, Bella, you need to go shopping," she said from inside my closet.

"No, I don't," I yelled from my spot on the bed. "There's gotta be something in there."

"What about this?" She stepped out with a skanky red dress that I hadn't worn in three years.

I shook my head. "No way. Something a little more...casual."

She huffed and stormed back into my closet. I heard more things being tossed around, which had me cringing since I knew I would be cleaning it all up...by myself. "I think I found something!"

She came back out holding up a blue button-up dress. I raised my eyebrows and smiled. "I forgot about that dress!"

"Try it on."

I quickly began undressing.

"Well, I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to just start stripping while I'm standing here."

"Shut up," I said from underneath my shirt as I threw it off. "I don't exactly have time to dilly dally."

"Dilly dally?"

I grabbed the dress from her and unbuttoned the top half. I slipped it over my head and looked at her as I buttoned it back up.

"Girl, you better hope those buttons are durable because I have a feeling Edward is going to rip that off of you," she smirked.

"What? No, he isn't. It's just dinner."

"Right."

"So, it's good? What about shoes?"

"Wear the ones you wore to my birthday last year!"

I narrowed my eyes trying to remember. Then, I walked over to my closet and picked out the ones I assumed she was talking about...basically my only pair of nice shoes. "These?"

"Yes. You're so getting laid."

"Highly unlikely."

"Well you better fucking get something. If he doesn't kiss you, I'm going to think he's gay."

I blushed and cleared my throat. I glanced up at her and she was staring at me skeptically.

"Why are you being weird?"

I shrugged. "I...I'm not."

She pursed her lips. "Did...something happen?"

I hated that she could see right through me.

"Um.."

"Something happened! Oh my God, you guys slept together, didn't you?"

"Wha-no, we-"

"You _so_ fucked! How was he-"

"Rose-"

"-because Emmett is pretty big and-"

"We didn't have sex! Damn it, Rose. All we did was kiss, okay? And he did it to make me feel better."

She frowned. "Feel better?"

I looked down. "I...my period was late...and I thought I was...you know."

She gasped and spoke softly, "Oh my God, Bella. What?"

I explained everything to her from his initial admission of his love for me to the scare, and she sat there with her mouth agape through most of it. When I finished, I looked at her expectantly. When she didn't say anything, I became nervous.

"Well?"

"I...that's a lot. I can't believe he kissed you after all that. Most guys would run away from your crazy ass." She laughed. I threw a pillow at her. "Well, I'm glad that you're okay, and that you're giving him a chance. Maybe you can give him a little somethin' somethin' if you know what I mean. You made him wait this long."

"Rose...seriously."

"What? Give him a bone, not a boner. Unless you're going to take care of it. I mean, he kissed you after he had thought you were pregnant."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Well whatever, it's not until tomorrow. And I have to get ready for school." I began undressing again. "There's coffee in the kitchen. The good kind! I can afford it now!"

"Yes!" She took off running to the kitchen as I got dressed. Then, I carefully put my dress on a hanger. I smiled despite the nervousness bubbling inside me.

I was going on a date with Edward Cullen.

* * *

**I know! I know! I suck! RL got in the way and caused horrible writer's block. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Thank you for being patient!**

**love you all!**

**-Bravery**


	14. Chapter 14

"Rosalie!" I slapped my hand on the door to her apartment. I'm sure I looked like a mess as tears streamed down my face. "Please open the door."

I continued knocking loudly until it finally flew open. Rose stood there, shocked as she analyzed my appearance. Her mouth fell open.

"Rose," I whimpered and fell into her arms.

"Bella? What? What happened?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around me. "Why are you crying?"

"I was with Edward," I sobbed. I couldn't really manage to say much else. She stiffened, and slowly pulled back, gripping my arms. I winced at the pain that shot through my elbow. A pain that had seemed long forgotten.

"Did he hurt you?" Her voice was cold. I looked at her face, and she looked ready to kill.

I frowned as a fresh set of tears filled my eyes. Why would she think he hurt me? He would never. He was way too good for that.

"No. _I_ hurt _him_."

Her face scrunched up in confusion and relief. "Bella, come inside and explain to me what happened." She wrapped her arm around me as she led me into her kitchen. She stopped. "You need to fix the buttons on your dress. It looks as though you've been assaulted."

I looked down, mortified when I saw that I had skipped a button. "No. Nothing...Edward and I had sex. And I ruined everything."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"You and my brother had sex?" I heard the familiar deep voice of Rosalie's boyfriend. "It's about time. That guy had been working on you for a while, but...you look like you've been in a fight with some mascara."

I turned toward him and he was rubbing his eyes. He also had no shirt on. Had I not been crazy, I would have laughed.

"You-" I quickly fixed my dress, and waltzed up to him. "You Cullens! Why do you do what you do?"

Emmett furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

"You-you think that you can be charming and worm your way into our hearts. And that we can just go along with it?" I poked him in the chest. "What is with you? Is it in your blood or something? Do you always get what you want?"

"I'm so confused," Emmett responded, taking a step back. I took a step forward.

"You're confused? Do you plan out how you're going to make us crazy?"

"What? What the fuck did I do?" He put his hands up in defense. "I'm just here. Trying to not get murdered by you for something I didn't do. Edward's the one that you have the problem with, clearly."

"I don't have a problem with Edward!" I yelled.

"Then, what is your problem, crazy lady?" His eyes were wide.

"Emmett, you're an idiot," Rosalie huffed from behind me. "And Bella, you're not making any sense."

Emmett nodded and took a step away from me again.

"Why did he choose me?"

His eyes widened, and he looked to Rose then back to me. "Am..am I supposed to answer that?"

"Bella," my best friend spoke softly. "Let's have a seat at the table, and Emmett can go to my room."

I stared at him as he quickly and cautiously made his way back to her room. Then, I turned to Rosalie.

She raised an eyebrow. "Care to explain why you just flipped out on my boyfriend?"

My shoulder's sagged. "I'm crazy."

She laughed and pulled out a chair for me. "Tell me."

I trudged over to the table and took a seat.

"Did the date not go well?"

I shook my head. "It was perfect."

I thought back to the beginning of the day.

...

It was one of those days. The day where everything seems to go wrong. First, I overslept for my shift at the library and rushed in late. My manager wrote me up. After my shift was over, I had gone back to my place, chugged a coffee, and started on my homework. After about ten minutes of reading the same sentence over and over again, I growled and stood up.

I couldn't concentrate on anything. Not one thing. Except Edward.

It was like he had me trapped. Like I was incapable of doing anything productive because my mind was clouded with him. I was almost tempted to call him and cancel our date because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to even dress myself.

"Stop being dumb," I scolded myself. "It's just a date. Nothing bad is going to happen."

I hadn't realize that I would ensure something bad would happen.

Since I couldn't study, I decided to go for a run. I figured burning off this excess energy would be helpful and maybe I could even clear my head. I quickly changed out of my clothes and into a more appropriate running gear.

I took off running. Full speed. I shouldn't have because I wasn't fit at all, so after three blocks I had to slow down to a snail-pace jog. And unfortunately, that gave me more time to think about things I shouldn't have been thinking about.

Like Edward's full lips when he smiled.

Like his intense green eyes that pierced through me.

Like his slightly crooked nose that he'd pinch when he was frustrated.

Like his sex hair that I just wanted to grab.

Like his arms, chest, legs, voice, laugh...

The dreams, the reality.

Everything.

I was flustered. And frustrated. And I continued running.

It began to work, though, blowing off all the steam. My mind began to focus on my breathing and things were getting better.

Until I tripped and scraped the shit out of my elbow. "Fuck," I hissed.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" A voice asked. I looked up and saw an older woman looking down at me. She probably was in her mid-forties, but she still looked young. She reminded me of Esme a little.

I assessed my arm and figured that yes, I was okay, but I should probably stop running.

"Yes, just clumsy," I muttered as she helped me up. "Thank you."

"No problem," she smiled warmly. "Be careful, though. Falling hurts."

I forced a smile. Her words seemed too...deep.

I walked back to my apartment and realized that I had run further than I thought. Good for me, but the walk back took forever as I cradled my elbow.

"Fuck today," I groaned as soon as I got into my apartment. "Fuck, fuck, fuck this day right up the ass."

I walked into the bathroom to examine my scrapes. "Yep. Right up the ass." I grumbled and groaned a little more as I stripped to take a shower. I waited for the water to heat up when I heard my phone go off.

"Ugh, what?" I moaned.

A message from Edward.

My stomach flipped. Was he canceling?

**Hey, pick you up at 6:45? -E**

I blew out a breath. It was 5.

**Sounds good -B**

I sent a second text with my address, not knowing if he had it, though he probably had gotten it somehow.

I hopped in the shower and breathed out a sigh of relief as soon as the water hit my muscles. A hot shower made everything better. I washed and was careful with my elbow, though it made no difference. It still stung and I could see a nasty bruise forming around the scrapes. Oh well.

I wondered what Edward would think of it. He'd probably be concerned. Make me explain. Maybe brush his fingers lightly over my elbow.

I sucked in a breath.

No. Get through this fucking shower.

When I closed my eyes to wash my hair, his eyes were in my mind. His smile filled my thoughts. His lips...

His lips.

I found my hand creeping south as I imagined his hand doing the same.

One hand lightly caressing my abdomen while the other grazed my breast.

I could feel how his lips would feel in areas that I probably wouldn't allow him to touch tonight.

I gasped when I felt how wet I already was as my fingers met my lips. I pushed them in as I slowly caressed my clit as they curled.

His fingers would reach further.

I knew it. I slowly circled and curled, pretending it was him touching me. That it was him pinching and pulling my nipple.

Harder.

Deeper.

I added a third finger inside me and cried out as I played roughly with myself.

I was close. So quickly.

I thought of how he would feel in me, all over me, and I was falling. My whole body shook as the pleasure overtook me and after a few moments, my deep breaths evened out.

I squashed the shame I felt and continued to wash the shampoo out if my hair and continue with my shower.

When I stepped out of the shower, I put on my robe and got to work. After brushing my teeth and taking care of the essentials, I started on my makeup. At first, I couldn't decide if I wanted to have smokey eyes or light eye makeup and focus more on accentuating my lips. I figured that since Edward would most likely end up kissing me, I avoided my lips. I was fortunate to have clear skin, so a light powder was all I needed for foundation. With my eyes, I started lighter, highlighting the brow bone. After mixing different shades of blues and greys and adding in the mascara, I had the look I was going for. I was satisfied.

I glanced at the clock 6:30. Well, it looked like I didn't have enough time for making my hair look decent. It was already drying in messy waves. I scowled and grabbed some hairspray trying to tame it.

I ran to my room and grabbed the dress that was hanging on the door. When I was in the midst of putting it on, the buzzer to my apartment went off. I ran over and buzzed him in. I took deep breaths and checked my reflection. Jewelry!

The knock on my door made me jump. I walked over and answered. What I saw made me gasp. He looked...amazing.

He had a dark green v-neck shirt that flattered his arms, and his dark jeans made him look taller. The white lilies in his hand made me smile.

"Hi," I breathed. My eyes met his and briefly I wondered if he could see right through me. If he had known what I had been doing in the shower.

I felt a rush flow through me as I wondered if he had ever done the same. If he had come while thinking of me.

"Hi," he ran a hand through his hair. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, so do you." I winced at my words. "Handsome...I mean. Whatever, come in, I'll be ready in two minutes. Do you want anything to drink?"

"No, I'm okay," he laughed. "Take your time."

"Make yourself at home," I yelled as I rushed back to the bathroom. I grabbed my dark hoops and matching necklace and quickly put them on before going back to my room to get the shoes. Those shoes.

I had to be careful. I slipped them on and headed out to Edward who was looking at the pictures of my family. I cleared my throat. He turned around blushing and pointed to the picture of my parents and me.

"Is that your dad?" He asked.

I smiled. "Yes, he lives in Forks," I said as I walked over. "We don't talk much, but we're still close." He hated Mike and had been pleased to hear we had broken up. I guess I had really been oblivious on that one. I had only vaguely mentioned Edward, so he had no reason to come out here with his gun.

"Forks?" Edward raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, small town, I know. He's the chief of police," I narrowed my eyes jokingly. "You better watch out."

"I will," he grinned as he placed the photo back where it belonged. Then, he turned to me. "You really do look beautiful."

"Thank you."

"Shall we?"

I nodded. As we walked towards the door, I spoke up. "You're not taking me to McDonald's are you?"

He looked to me and shook his head. "No, you're a little underdressed for that."

I laughed loudly as we walked out of my apartment.

...

Funny. As I sat in front of Rose, I wished the problem would have been going to fast food restaurant for dinner.

* * *

**I am very nervous about the response to this chapter...but I will have an update very soon. This is similar to those two-hour episodes of TV shows that say, TO BE CONTINUED, but I won't make you wait a week. It just worked out that way. I really appreciate you sticking with me :)**

**On a different note, I'm obsessed with Eminem's new song, 'Berzerk.' It has a taste of old school Marshall Mathers. **

**On an even different note, who has seen The World's End? It's hilarious! And a little sad, but mostly hilarious.**

**ALSO, I have no problem with McDonald's. I love their fries every once in a while :)**

**Well, Happy Hump Day! **

**I luh y'all.**

**-Bravery**


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